Since 1987, in the same vein as the Césars for cinema or the Victoires de la Musique, the theatre has also created its own professional accolades: the Molières (also known as La Nuit des Molières).
The winners of the Molières for theater are chosen by members of the Académie des Molières, all theater professionals. The ceremony sets apart, in most of its prize categories, private theatre from public theatre. It honors not only performers but also playwrights and directors, as well as the more technical side, including the visual and sound design category.
Moreover, over the years, as the theater scene has evolved, so have the categories. Thus, since 2004, a Molière for a spectacle musical has been awarded, since 2006 the prize for a spectacle jeune public, and since 2016, the humour prize, which stands apart from the prize for one-man shows that rewards dramatic solo performances.
Winning one, or even several Molières, for a production isn’t just peer recognition—it also helps secure a longer run. Some prize-winning plays stay on stage for years.
Coal in the veins: the five-Molière-winning play extended at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal
After Adieu Monsieur Haffmann and Petit coiffeur, Jean-Philippe Daguerre returns with a new theatrical creation: Du charbon dans les veines. The play, which focuses on mineworkers in the 1950s in a deeply moving narrative, won no fewer than 5 Molières and is now coming to the Théâtre du Palais-Royal! [Read more]
Alexis Michalik's Edmond returns to the Théâtre du Palais Royal: our review
Edmond, Alexis Michalik's third play, premiered at the Théâtre du Palais Royal in 2016, is still running at the Théâtre du Ier Arrondissement. After more than 5 Molières awards, the play returns on August 21, 2025. [Read more]
Dernier coup de ciseaux: interactive detective comedy at the Théâtre des Mathurins
Discover "Dernier coup de ciseaux," an interactive detective comedy by Sébastien Azzopardi and Sacha Danino, at the Théâtre des Mathurins until June 30, 2026. [Read more]
