Comédie Bastille

Comédie Bastille is a small, intimate theatre in Paris, located at 5 rue Nicolas-Appert in the 11th arrondissement, just a short walk from Place de la Bastille. For decades it has been the address for boulevard comedy and for young playwrights, directors and actors testing new work in front of a real audience.

How do you get to Comédie Bastille?

The theatre sits in a dense residential pocket of the 11th arrondissement, between Bastille and République, so the metro is by far the easiest way in. Three stations are within a few minutes' walk: Chemin Vert (line 8), Richard-Lenoir (line 5) and Saint-Ambroise (line 9). The surrounding streets are classic eastern Paris — small wine bars, design shops and late-opening bistros — so finding somewhere for dinner before or after the show is never a problem.

What's the story behind this venue?

The building wasn't built as a theatre. In 1985, actor Andréas Voutzinas, together with around fifty friends, converted a former carpentry workshop on boulevard Richard-Lenoir into a stage, naming it Théâtre des Cinquante — the Theatre of the Fifty. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s the space functioned as a creative workshop and training studio for young actors, with a busy schedule of productions.

In 1997, actors and directors Guy and Roger Louret — creators of the show Les Années Twist and founders of the Baladins en Agenais troupe and the production company GRL Productions — took over the venue, looking for a rehearsal space where they could stage their own work. The next handover came in April 2001, when the Louret brothers passed the theatre to Yves Lemonnier and Didier Constant, who renamed it Comédie Bastille — the name it carries today.

What can you expect to see on stage?

Since reopening under its current name, the theatre has kept a consistent focus on launching young talent — playwrights, directors and actors still building their reputation on the Paris stage. The programme leans heavily on boulevard-style comedy and contemporary plays, often light and entertaining, though more ambitious auteur productions do make it onto the bill. Christophe Segura has directed the theatre since 2015, continuing that same commitment to new names over established stars.

The main hall seats 189, which keeps every performance close and personal — you're near enough to actors that the evening feels more like a gathering among friends than a big-stage spectacle. The venue is wheelchair accessible and air-conditioned, a detail worth knowing in the height of a Paris summer when older theatre halls can get stuffy.

When should you plan your visit?

Paris theatre runs nearly year-round, but the programme is busiest from September through June; summer brings fewer productions, though the hall rarely sits empty for long. Seating is limited, so for popular titles it's worth booking ahead, especially for Friday and Saturday evening performances. Shows typically run somewhere between an hour and ninety minutes, which leaves plenty of room to pair a night at the theatre with dinner near Bastille or a stroll along the Canal Saint-Martin, a short walk away.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Comédie Bastille? At 5 rue Nicolas-Appert, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, close to Place de la Bastille.

Which metro line is best for getting there? Chemin Vert (line 8), Richard-Lenoir (line 5) or Saint-Ambroise (line 9) — all are a few minutes' walk from the theatre.

How many seats does the main hall have? 189, making Comédie Bastille one of the more intimate theatres in this part of Paris.

What kind of shows does it stage? Mostly boulevard comedy and contemporary plays, with a strong focus on promoting young, emerging writers and actors rather than established names.