The Théâtre Montparnasse can host a seminar for about 20 people in its foyer or a general assembly for more than 400 staff in one of its two halls. The main hall seats 715, the smaller hall 200, and the foyer takes up to 250 people. The theatre stands at 31 rue de la Gaîté in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.
Seminars and company events
The theatre hires its spaces outside performance times. Both halls are available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the main hall also every Monday evening. The foyer is available every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Monday evenings.
This schedule suits morning conferences, product launches, annual meetings, training sessions and lunch events that end before the evening show. Each hall comes with large-screen video projection, microphones and a conference stage set. The foyer has a large video screen and microphones. An in-house events team helps with the project, and a sales brochure is available from the theatre.
The theatre presents itself as the only Italian-style theatre on the Left Bank, so a plenary here takes place in a horseshoe auditorium with stalls, a dress circle and a balcony rather than in a flat conference room.
Rooms and capacities
The Grande Salle has 715 seats: 338 in the stalls (including 3 wheelchair places), 176 in the dress circle and 201 in the balcony. It is available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Monday evenings.
The Petite Salle, also known as the Petit Montparnasse, has 200 seats and is available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Foyer, on the first floor, takes up to 250 people and works for a seminar of about 20, a breakfast, a networking break or a stand-up lunch. On performance nights it opens to theatregoers one hour before the show.
The two halls and the foyer can be combined, for example a plenary in the main hall with a reception in the foyer.
Catering
Catering is provided on request for each space. On show nights the foyer runs as a restaurant and bar serving dishes such as salmon tartare, vegetable lasagne and chicken curry, with champagne, wines and cocktails.
History and setting
A theatre has used the name Montparnasse in this street since the early 19th century. The present building, designed by the architect Charles Peigniet, opened on October 29, 1886, after five months of work. Peigniet had worked on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York. The hall then held 1,200 seats.
In the 1887-1888 season it housed André Antoine's Théâtre Libre, followed in 1891 and 1892 by Paul Fort's Théâtre d'Art, with sets painted by Bonnard, Maurice Denis and Odilon Redon. Gaston Baty took over the direction in 1930. Rue de la Gaîté, long lined with dance halls and taverns, is still a street of theatres.
Getting there
Gare Montparnasse is five minutes on foot, with direct trains from western France. The nearest metro stations are Gaîté (line 13), Edgar Quinet (line 6) and Montparnasse (lines 4 and 12). Buses 28, 48, 58, 82, 86, 89, 91, 92, 94, 95 and 96 serve the area. Drivers can use the Indigo Paris Montparnasse Gaîté car park at 15 rue du Commandant René Mouchotte or the Maine Parking Gare Montparnasse at 50 avenue du Maine. Several Vélib stations are close by.
