Theater La Criée
Founded in May 1981, the Criée theater is a flagship venue in the city of Marseille. Before becoming an important cultural space in Marseille, La Criée was simply a fish market.
LA CRIÉE, THE NATIONAL THEATER OF MARSEILLE
The entrance to the site opens directly onto the Old Port and benefits from a privileged location. To date, over 700 performances have been presented since the theater opened, becoming legendary.
For several decades, the establishment was a fish market where locals could buy wholesale and through auction: this is how the theater inherited its name. La Criée has since been relocated to the Saumaty port, near L'Estaque. The building dates back to 1909, as evidenced by the year of construction inscribed on its facade, which is classified as a historical monument. After the fish market moved out, the now empty premises hosted a show for one evening only. It was under these particular circumstances that the new vocation of the place was born, and after five years of work, La Criée eventually became a theater.
CURRENT EVENTS AT LA CRIÉE
Since July 1, 2011, the theater has been directed by Macha Makeïef (also a stage director) and offers a wide variety of programs ranging from circus and puppet shows to dance, storytelling, or musicals. As the National Drama Center of Marseille, La Criée has a large auditorium with 800 seats as well as a smaller hall that can accommodate 280 people. Thanks to skillful stage design where actors are at the same level as the audience, the atmosphere within the theater is decidedly different. This theater, open to the quay of Rive Neuve, invites visitors to enter this unique place. From the footbridge, there is even a view of the open sea.