New festival: in Saint-Paul, the Remparts du rire lay their first stone with a sponsor named Michel Boujenah

Summer will offer plenty of entertainment. And in the final stretch, after the start of the school year, Les Remparts du rire will be held for the first time in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, from September 12th to 14th. Behind the creation of this event are Julien Nacache and Louis-Aubry Longeray, two actors who formed their own troupe, Les Collectionneurs.

Joining them is Michel Boujenah, a Saint-Paulois by adoption, captivated by the enthusiasm of the duo of friends. Last Wednesday, in a heat that made us sweat profusely, with an impeccable sense of phrasing, all these wonderful people presented the outlines of the first edition.

Assets to differentiate yourself

Stand-up comedy shows are starting to proliferate in the region. So, one might wonder if adding another layer is really worthwhile.

"We present the festival as a festival of comedy, stand-up, one-man shows, but also theater. Everything revolves around comedy," summarizes Julien Nacache.

On the final evening, September 14, Les Collectionneurs will be involved with Théâtre à la carte, a play in which the audience can choose which scenes will be performed from a menu, just as they would choose between a flank steak and a hake loin at a restaurant. Staged three years ago, the show will first run for a month at the Avignon Off Festival, from July 5 to 26, before returning to the Côte d'Azur.

"We'll be in a cabaret format, with music and the opportunity to have a drink and a snack before the evening begins. The fact of being in an idyllic setting, on the most beautiful square in the most beautiful village in the world, that changes everything," says Louis-Aubry Longeray, with a chauvinism that is as amused as it is assumed.

And what about programming?

At the Remparts du Rire, you won't find any heavyweights used to filling Zenith arenas. And that's just as well, if we're to believe its instigators.

"We really wanted people who were comfortable on stage, with awareness of their voice and their body. Louis, Michel and I visited a lot of venues. Mainly in Paris, since it's the city that allows you to see the most artists in the same evening. All three of us have very different tastes. So when a comedian was unanimously popular among us, it was a pretty good sign," explains Julien Nacache.

On September 12, we'll still be seeing a Southerner, Pablo Caillault from Nice, who's drawn to the absurd and improvisation. Alongside him, there's a wordsmith named Marc Tourneboeuf, the cynical and clinical Lisa Perrio, and Pierre Thevenoux, a stand-up comedian ready to improvise as a "life coach," even if his own is shaky.

On September 13th, we'll see two jokers stamped "heard on France Inter", Alexis Le Rossignol and Mélodie Fontaine, not forgetting Emma Bojan and her keen sense of self-mockery, as well as Baba Rudy, a Marseillais bonnard... when he hasn't decided to tickle the front row.

> Info. lesrempartsdurire.fr