Théâtre National de Nice

Launched in 2014 by Irina Brook at the Théâtre National de Nice, “The Shake Nice!” was France’s premier international Shakespeare festival held in a National theatre. Designed to highlight the modern relevance and accessibility of the Bard’s work, the festival featured global performances, university conferences, and workshops led by the theatre’s resident actors, Les Eclaireurs.

A key component of the festival was “Shakespeare Freestyle,” an educational outreach program aimed at fostering social integration. The project empowered local teenagers to create and perform 20-minute adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Retaining the original text, the students brought their creative visions to the stage through weekly mentorship from their teachers and Les Eclaireurs.

“I still strongly believe that Shakespeare is the ultimate author for everybody. I want to take the schools in a theatre adventure with me. More than 10 schools and high school classes per year have participated and offered us their vision of Shakespeare. I want teenagers to master these plays and feel their magic.” Irina Brook