The French Government has announced plans to expand the Paris Opera and construct a new City Theatre [Cité du theatre]. The City Theatre will be built on the site of Paris Opera’s Berthier workshops in the 17th arrondissement. President François Hollande and minister of Culture Audrey Azoulay visited the site on Monday.
Paris Opera will be given €60m to construct a new multipurpose room. The foundations for this building were originally laid in the 1980s, but the building was never completed. As well as an 800-seat concert hall the facility will store props, and may become the home of the Paris Opera Academy. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the 2022-23 season.
Meanwhile the City Theatre will result from the combination of the Odeon Theatre and the Berthier workshops. The site could become home to the French National Academy of Dramatic Arts. If the project is approved construction will commence in 2018 and be completed by the end of the 2022-23 season.