Paris (AFP)
Muriel Mayette-Holtz, who had not been reappointed in 2018 at the head of the Villa Medici in Rome, was appointed director of the National Theater of Nice, announced Friday the Ministry of Culture.
"She will take the direction of the National Theater of Nice on November 1, 2019 and will succeed Irina Brook who makes the choice to continue its activities in company," said a statement. Irina Brook started her company in 2008 and she has been running the TNN since 2014.
Muriel Mayette-Holtz "wishes to give a specific identity to the national drama center, developing strong links with the theaters of" Mediterranean Europe "(Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece)", according to a statement from the Ministry.
Former administrator of the Comédie-Française, she was nominated in 2015 at the Villa Medici but her mandate was not renewed in September 2018. She then lambasted the "disregard for the work done" by the government and defended its balance sheet.
First woman to have directed the Comédie-Française, she was also the first woman to head the prestigious Académie de France.
She had been nominated in Rome by former minister Fleur Pellerin, in the controversy, despite an open letter from about forty artists who accused him of knowing "none of the artistic and intellectual fields represented in the Villa".
Upon arrival, this actress had chosen to open more places, to applicants and the public.
© 2019 AFP