He arrived from the back of the room while we were waiting on stage. Jacques Weber did not shy away from his pleasure of returning to the Antoine theater which, after three months of silence, was able to raise its curtain again. Welcomed by the rounds of applause from the 400 spectators, all invited, including caregivers, firefighters and worshipers from the famous Salle des Grands Boulevards in Paris, the happy actor was also very moved.
"It is 7 pm and it is a little early to applaud you. Normally, it's 8 pm, ”launched Jacques Weber, who was on the poster for this reopening evening for a reading of texts by Victor Hugo and Gustave Flaubert. “I wanted to tell you from the bottom of my heart my emotion. Thank you all, caregivers and firefighters, for before, during and after the Covid. "
In the room where one seat out of three wore a badge "Sorry, this place cannot be occupied", many spectators did not drop their mask. But the eyes sparkled with happiness. "We used to wear it so much all the time," smiles Marie, 52, aged, physiotherapist in neonatal intensive care at the Port Royal hospital in Paris. They take care of us and after these difficult months, it feels great to be there this evening with Jacques Weber. "
Isabelle runs a hotel and when she found herself partially unemployed because of the Covid, she volunteered at the Créteil hospital. At 36, she had a very strong but also very trying experience. "To find a normal life thanks to the theater and to be this evening, that makes a lot of good", testifies the young woman. "I am very touched and moved to have been invited by the Antoine theater, it's a strong gesture that feels good," confirms Marion, social worker at the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris.
"Tonight, we break the isolation"
Just before the curtain rises, the Minister of Culture, Franck Riester, also said "his happiness to see cinemas and theaters today resume in compliance with sanitary rules". "It is this balance that we must find between the pleasure of going to the theater, to shows while remaining cautious to prevent the virus from spreading again," he insisted. We must bet on the responsibility of each and everyone to succeed in this deconfinement. "
"Tonight, we break the isolation and after three months, we are really happy," said Stéphanie Bataille, director of the theater. "This June 22, we can start living again! If we decided this unprecedented effort in the history of humanity to confine itself to protect life, it was good to enjoy life, enjoy it and rediscover the meetings and the theater ”, for his part, declaimed to the public Jean-Marc Dumontet, owner of several theaters including the Antoine Theater. "We missed this exchange with you, missed the actors, and no doubt missed you. We are happy to share this reunion. We are extremely moved… It is a pleasure to find you! Long live the theater! "