Françoise
Gillard

507e sociétaire

While still training at the Conservatoire royal in Brussels, where she graduated with a First Prize for Interpretation in 1995, Françoise Gillard was cast by the British director Adrian Brine to play in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, which he was staging at the Rideau de Bruxelles in 1993. The following year, under the direction of Dominique Haumont, she played Elsbeth in Musset’s Fantasio at the Théâtre des Galeries. She continued with Molière’s The School for Wives (L’École des femmes) by Gérard Vivane and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by Daniel Schahaise. In 1996, she reunited with Adrian Brine for Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband at the Théâtre Antoine in Paris.

As a pensionnaire of the Comédie-Française, Françoise Gillard made her debut in 1997 in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia by Philippe Adrien. In 1998, she played Henriette in Molière’s Les Femmes savantes by Simon Eine. Her interpretation of Alarica in Audiberti’s Le mal court directed by Andrzej Seweryn won her the Critics’ Union Best Actress Award, the Suzanne Bianchetti Prize and the SACD (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques/Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers) in 2001 as well as two nominations for the Molière Award for Best Newcomer in the Theatre in 2001 and 2002. In 2005, Éric Ruf directed her in Et ne va malheurer de mon malheur ta vie, a collage of texts by Robert Garnier.

Françoise Gillard has interpreted some of the iconic roles of the repertoire, such as Stella in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire by Lee Breuer, Cassandra in Seneca’s Agamemnon by Denis Marleau, Roxane in Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac by Denis Podalydès, Marguerite in Alfred de Musset’s L’Âne et le ruisseau by Nicolas Lormeau and Sissi in Jean-René Lemoine’s Erzuli Dahomey, Déesse de l’amour by Éric Génovèse. She played the title roles in Molière’s Psyché by Véronique Vella, in Racine’s Esther by Alain Zaepffel and in Anouilh's Antigone by Marc Paquien, for which she received both the 2013 Beaumarchais Best Actress Awards of the Public and that of the Press.

She shines in both classical and contemporary repertoire. Jacques Lassalle cast her as Elvire in Molière's Dom Juan or the Feast with the Statue (Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre), and later as Sasha in Chekhov’s Platonov or Fatherlessness. Jean-Michel Ribes directed her in Amorphe d’Ottenburg by Jean-Claude Grumberg and Robert Wilson in Fables by La Fontaine. In 2009, she interpreted the role of “Her” in Pur written and directed by Lars Norén, with whom she reunited for Poussière in 2018. She learned sign language in order to play Sarah Norman in Mark Medoff’s Children of a Lesser God under the direction of Anne-Marie Etienne, later taken over at the Théâtre Antoine. For her performance, she was nominated for the 2017 Moliere Award for Best Actress. In 2016, she was The Married Woman in Schnitzler’s La Ronde by Anne Kessler who had previously directed her in Griefs (s) after Strindberg, Ibsen and Bergman in 2006. As part of the 2017 Singulis Programme, she created Annie Ernaux's L’Événement under the mentorship of Denis Podalydès. This play was taken over at the Théâtre Antoine in 2018 as part of its Festival Paroles citoyennes.

Françoise Gillard has been equally interested in singing and dancing. Together with Claire Richard, she performed Signature in 2010, inspired by the choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. In 2015 again with Claire Richard, they appeared in L’Autre, a dance performance presented at the 104 in Paris and later at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier. In 2011, she participated in the show Chansons déconseillées, written and directed by Philippe Meyer and in Cabaret Boris Vian by Serge Bagdassarian in 2013.

Outside of the Comédie-Française, she could be seen in movies by Alain Resnais, Emmanuel Bourdieu, Bruno Podalydès or Jeanne Labrune. On television, she worked under the direction of Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe, Alain Tasma and Fred Garçon, among others. Françoise Gillard has also been a regular participant at the “Siestes acoustiques” launched by Bastien Lallemant.

She is Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et Lettres).

During the 2018/2019 season, she will be performing in Carlo Goldoni’s La Locandiera by Alain Françon, Pauline Bureau’s Hors la loi directed by the author and in the rerun of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (20 000 lieues sous les mers) by Christian Hecq and Valérie Lesort.

Currently in

ON TOUR / SINGULIS — L'Événement

by Annie Ernaux
Directed and performed by Françoise Gillard

On tour

Soon in

Au grenier : Le Souffle de la vague

d'Ingrid Astier
par Françoise Gillard

Richelieu

At the Comédie-Française

2023-2024

2022-2023

  • Les Géants de la montagne

    Luigi Pirandello artistic director Marina Hands

    Ilse, dite aussi la Comtesse

  • L'Avare

    by Molière Directed by Lilo Baur

    Frosine, femme d'intrigue

    Richelieu

  • Fragments Norén

    artistic director Amélie Wendling

    Vx-Colombier

  • La Ballade de Souchon

    Adaptation Françoise Gillard et Amélie Wendling Directed by Françoise Gillard

    Studio

2021-2022

  • Amphitryon

    by Molière artistic direction by Jérôme Pouly

    Alcmène, femme d’Amphitryon

    Vx-Colombier

  • Le Bourgeois gentilhomme

    Comedy-ballet by Molière Directed by Valérie Lesort and Christian Hecq

    Dorimène, marquise et Danseuse

    Richelieu

  • Le Médecin volant

    by Molière artistic direction by Géraldine Martineau

    Sganarelle, valet de Valère

  • L'Avare

    by Molière Directed by Lilo Baur

    Frosine, femme d'intrigue

    Richelieu

  • Music-hall

    de Jean-Luc Lagarce Mise en scène Glysleïn Lefever

    la Fille

    Studio

  • 7 minutes

    by Stefano Massini directed by Maëlle Poésy

    Arielle

    Vx-Colombier

2020-2021

  • Le Bourgeois gentilhomme

    Comédie-ballet de Molière Mise en scène Valérie Lesort et Christian Hecq

    Dorimène, marquise et Danseuse

    Richelieu

  • Music-hall

    de Jean-Luc Lagarce Mise en scène Glysleïn Lefever

    la Fille

    Studio

  • Hors la loi

    Texte et mise en scène Pauline Bureau

    Gisèle Halimi

    Vx-Colombier

2019-2020

  • Françoise Gillard / Delphine de Vigan

    The Actors’ Attic

    Richelieu

  • Électre / Oreste

    "Electra / Orestes" by Euripide Directed by Ivo van Hove

    le Choeur (alternately)

    Richelieu

  • Jules César

    Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Adapted and directed by Rodolphe Dana

    Métellus, sénateur conspirateur et Calpurnia, femme de César

    Vx-Colombier

2018-2019

  • Hors la loi

    Outlaws Writed and directed by Pauline Bureau

    Gisèle Halimi

    Vx-Colombier

  • 20 000 lieues sous les mers

    20,000 Leagues under the Sea after Jules Verne Directed by Christian Hecq and Valérie...

    Flippos, second du Capitaine Nemo, et manipulation de marionnettes

    Vx-Colombier

  • La Locandiera

    The Mistress of The Inn by Carlo Goldoni Directed by Alain Françon

    Ortensia, comédienne (Alternating)

    Richelieu

2017-2018

2016-2017

2015-2016

  • The Readers’ Bureau

    Readings of contemporary authors

    Vx-Colombier

  • Lucrèce Borgia

    Lucrezia Borgia by Victor Hugo Directed by Denis Podalydès

    La Princesse Negroni (en alternance)

    Richelieu

  • Cyrano de Bergerac

    by Edmond Rostand Directed by Denis Podalydès

    Roxane

    Richelieu

2014-2015

  • Françoise Gillard

    Actor School

    Studio

  • Les Enfants du silence

    by Mark Medoff Directed by Anne-Marie Étienne

    Sarah Norman

    Vx-Colombier

  • L'Autre

    The Other by Françoise Gillard and Claire Richard Directed by Françoise Gillard and...

    Vx-Colombier

  • L'Autre [avant-première]

    The Other by Françoise Gillard and Claire Richard Directed by Françoise Gillard and...

    Centquatre

  • Antigone

    by Jean Anouilh Directed by Marc Paquien

    Antigone

    Richelieu

2013-2014

  • Antigone

    by Jean Anouilh Directed by Marc Paquien

    Antigone

    Richelieu

  • Psyché

    by Molière Directed by Véronique Vella

    Psyché

    Richelieu

2012-2013

2011-2012

2010-2011

  • The Readers’ Bureau

    Readings of contemporary authors

    Vx-Colombier

  • Agamemnon

    by Sénèque Le Jeune Directed by Denis Marleau

    Cassandre et 3e chœur

    Richelieu

  • Un tramway nommé désir

    A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Directed by Lee Breuer

    Stella Kowalski

    Richelieu

2009-2010

2008-2009

  • Pur

    by Lars Norén directed by Lars Norén

    She

    Vx-Colombier

  • Cyrano de Bergerac

    by Edmond Rostand Directed by Denis Podalydès

    Roxane

    Richelieu

  • La Mégère apprivoisée

    The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare Directed by Oskaras...

    Catharina

    Richelieu

2007-2008

2006-2007

2005-2006

  • Cyrano de Bergerac

    by Edmond Rostand Directed by Denis Podalydès

    Roxane

    Richelieu

  • Grief[s]

    by August Strindberg, Henrik Ibsen and Ingmar Bergman Directed by Anne Kessler

    Anna

    Studio

  • Fables de La Fontaine

    by Jean de La Fontaine Directed by Robert Wilson

    le Lièvre, le Souriceau, le Petit Chien (en alternance)

    Richelieu

2004-2005

2003-2004

2002-2003

  • Esther

    by Jean Racine Directed by Alain Zaepffel

    Esther

    Richelieu

  • Présences

    by Yacine Kateb Directed by Mohamed Kacimi

    Richelieu

  • Le Dindon

    by Georges Feydeau Directed by Lukas Hemleb

    Clara (alternating)

    Richelieu

  • Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre

    Dom Juan or the Feast with the Statue by Molière Directed by Jacques Lassalle

    Elvire

    Richelieu

2001-2002

  • Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre

    Dom Juan or the Feast with the Statue by Molière Directed by Jacques Lassalle

    Elvire

    Richelieu

  • Le Mal court

    by Jacques Audiberti Directed by Andrzej Seweryn

    Alarica, la princesse

    Vx-Colombier

2000-2001

1999-2000

1998-1999

  • Arcadia

    by Tom Stoppard Directed by Philippe Adrien

    Thomasina Coverly

    Richelieu

  • Les Femmes savantes

    by Molière Directed by Simon Eine

    Henriette

    Richelieu

1997-1998

  • Les Femmes savantes

    by Molière Directed by Simon Eine

    Henriette

    Richelieu

  • Arcadia

    by Tom Stoppard Directed by Philippe Adrien

    Thomasina Coverly

    Vx-Colombier

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VIGIPIRATE

En raison du renforcement des mesures de sécurité dans le cadre du plan Vigipirate « Sécurité renforcée - risque attentat », nous vous demandons de vous présenter 30 minutes avant le début de la représentation afin de faciliter le contrôle.

Nous vous rappelons également qu’un seul sac (de type sac à main, petit sac à dos) par personne est admis dans l’enceinte des trois théâtres de la Comédie-Française. Tout spectateur se présentant muni d’autres sacs (sac de courses, bagage) ou objets encombrants, se verra interdire l’entrée des bâtiments.

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