La France, Empire: Nicolas Lambert explores the colonial unspoken at the Théâtre de Belleville

From December 8 to 20, 2025, the Théâtre de Belleville welcomes La France, Empire, the new one-man show by Nicolas Lambert, who continues his work of theatrical investigation, this time questioning the shadowy areas of France's colonial past.

After L'A-Démocratie, devoted to the relationship between power and the oil industry, Nicolas Lambert tackles the silent foundations of national history. In La France, Empire, he combines personal accounts with historical analysis to dismantle the myths of an empire that is often watered down in the collective memory. Intimate memories collide with the national story, and official history reveals its flaws.

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On stage, alone with his voice and sharp eye, the author-interpreter reveals blind spots, silences and misappropriations of meaning. Between humor, direct address to the audience and documentary precision, he brings out the questions that disturb: what remains of the Empire in our imagination? What narratives have been erased or transformed? And can we build a common future without acknowledging the hidden parts of our past?

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This show is aimed at audiences interested in political theater, critical narrative and committed forms of transmission. Audiences sensitive to post-colonial issues, contemporary history or stage writing that blends theater and lecture will find it a powerful proposition. On the other hand, those who prefer a more fictional or light-hearted approach may be thrown off balance by the density of the subject matter.

La France, Empire is on view from December 8 to 20, 2025, in a tightly-knit format that blends the intimate and the collective, telling the story from a human perspective.

This article is based on sources available online and the show has not been viewed.

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