3 March 2018

Luce Berthommé and Christian Le Guillochet in Villejésus (16), Charente (16)

In his invaluable Guide des tombes des hommes célèbres – which of course also includes graves of famous women – Bertrand Beyern describes Luce Berthommé (1944–2004, born in Villejésus) as an 'author, [film and play] director and actor'. His 2008-published book of course excludes her husband Christian Le Guillochet (1933–2011, born in Albi), who is described in Wikipédia as an 'actor, playwright and director of films and plays'.* Together (with the support of the actor Laurent Terzieff), they founded Lucernaire, a cultural centre in Paris involved with drama, the cinema and photography, in 1968. It began near the Gare Montparnasse in the Impasse Odessa, although ten years later Lucernaire was forced to move due to the construction of the Tour Montparnasse. In the sixth arrondissement at 53 rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, in a disused factory, the second incarnation of Lucernaire consisted of three theatres, three cinema screens, an art gallery, small library, restaurant and bar. In 2004, after the death of his wife,  Christian Le Guillochet sold Lucernaire to Les Éditions L'Harmattan. And in 2006 Christian Le Guillochet published, via Les Éditions L'Harmattan, a book about the history of Lucernaire: 50 ans de Théâtre, depuis l'impasse Odessa jusqu'à la rue Notre-Dame des Champs.

*He also wrote two novels: L'Oiseau-éventail (1995) and Le Chien citoyen (2008).


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