Dolto - Lorsque Françoise Paraît - Théâtre Comédie Odéon - Lyon

Dolto, lorsque Françoise paraît at Théâtre Comédie Odéon

At Théâtre Comédie Odéon, we are proud to open our doors to Dolto, lorsque Françoise paraît, a moving and lucid theatrical exploration of the voice, convictions, and contradictions of Françoise Dolto. Presented in our intimate space in the heart of Lyon, the performance invites audiences to sit close to the fire of a life committed to listening to children and to the transformative power of words. The staging favors clarity and intimacy: restrained scenography, meticulous lighting, and a cadence that lets thought unfold with precision. From our vantage point as a venue dedicated to living, contemporary storytelling, the piece shines in the way it balances biography and present-day resonance. It travels through milestones in a life spent defending the autonomy of childhood, while confronting the debates that still surround psychoanalysis, education, and family life. On our stage, you will hear a language that is exacting yet warm, carried by a performer whose presence turns theory into experience, and whose address to the audience transforms the theater into a shared space for listening.

A vibrant artistic moment for Lyon audiences

Hosting Dolto, lorsque Françoise paraît is also a way for Théâtre Comédie Odéon to engage with a wider civic conversation that has grown steadily in recent seasons: how we speak to children, how we make room for their words, and how we reconcile care, authority, and freedom. The creative team’s approach honors the energy of public debate without sacrificing nuance. On stage, remembered consultations, letters, and interviews become living material—never museum pieces, always oriented toward our present concerns. The dramaturgy embraces contrasts: tenderness and rigor, modesty and courage, the private and the political. This alignment with our artistic program matters to us: we champion works that connect lived experience to the civic sphere, invite audiences to think and feel in the same breath, and make the most of our hall’s acoustics and proximity. In Lyon, where conversations about education, healthcare, and social bonds animate cultural life, the performance finds a particularly attentive audience; the show’s careful pacing and articulate performance draw listeners in and keep them there, breath held, thought engaged.

As a venue, we have shaped the viewing conditions so that the encounter with Dolto’s ideas is as direct and generous as possible. The seat-to-stage distance, the clarity of the sound design, and the balance of light and shadow are tuned to support a performance that lives by attention and care. The narrative flows through scenes that allow us to witness professional breakthroughs and private doubts, the exhilaration of discovery and the weight of criticism. It evokes postwar France, clinics and waiting rooms, radio microphones and kitchen tables—places where a new way of listening took root. The performance does not present a monument but a human being: courageous, sometimes contentious, always engaged. By welcoming Dolto, lorsque Françoise paraît to Théâtre Comédie Odéon, we are offering an evening where theater becomes a space for encounter—between a thinker and her time, between a performer and an audience, and between the burning questions of yesterday and the urgencies of today. Audiences in Lyon who value lucid, embodied storytelling will find here an essential moment of theater: concentrated, compassionate, and alive.