3 Best Performing Arts Venues in Montparnasse, Paris

The Rue de la Gaîté has been a Left Bank entertainment hub since the late 18th century. Once dotted with dance halls and cabarets, this street is still home to a multitude of lively bars and several historic theaters that feature well-known actors and offer a selection of dramas, musicals, and concerts. Check out the decorative La Comédie Italienne at No. 19, specializing in sharp, original plays and Carlos Goldoni Italian classics. All performances are in French. The theater, with whimsical trompe l'oeil paintings, can also be rented for private events. 

Occupying an abandoned factory, Le Lucernaire wins a standing ovation as far as cultural centers are concerned. With three theaters staging a total of six performances per day, plus three movie screens, a bookstore, photography exhibitions, a lively restaurant-bar, and the equally animated surrounding neighborhood of Vavin, it caters to a local audience of young intellectuals.

In the heart of the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, this complex includes three theaters, an international student residence community, a casual daytime restaurant, and a park. Conceived in the 1930s with a visionary concept of pacifism and international peace, the Cité U campus is home to thousands of students and researchers from around the world. The theaters host young, avant-garde dance, music, theater, and circus performances, as well as debates, meetings, and workshops. Forty percent of the productions are by foreign artists.