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Le Local des Autrices
18 Rue de l’Orillon, 75011 Paris, France

Le Local des Autrices is a theatre and cultural hub dedicated to women’s writing. Experience daily theatrical and musical treats (except Monday), regular weekly nights to look out for include Les Mardis de l’impro féministe (Feminist Improv Tuesdays) and Les Mercredis-Apéros (Wednesday Aperitifs).

Le Théâtre de Belleville
16 Pass. Piver, 75011 Paris, France

Located at the crossroads of four working-class districts of Paris, the Théâtre de Belleville opened its doors in 2011. Working with both established artists and those from the emerging scene it presents political and poetic theatre that challenges and questions, grappling with the challenges of our world, while being part of a local Belleville dynamic.

Luce Fabiole (COMEDIENNES)
3 Rue Abel Rabaud, 75011 Paris, France

A star of silent films, actress Luce Fabiole (real name Marie Antoinette Bernus) had a long and varied career in theatre, television and cinema for more than 50 years. Frequently cast as a supporting actress, she appeared in over a hundred roles, often uncredited in the cinema. On the stage, her role as the doleful mother of a deviant son in Henri Troyat’s Sébastien caught the critics’ attention at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens in 1949. The drama in her life wasn’t just restricted to the stage, in 1954 she was robbed at gunpoint while leaving the Théâtre Charles de Rochefort, where she was appearing alongside Grégoire Aslan in L’Homme au parapluie.

Henry Lasserre (Poete)
28 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011 Paris, France

Poet Henry Lasserre, was the author of Le chercheur d’or, for which he was awarded the Prix Jacques-Normand by the Société des Gens de Lettres in 1948. The Prix Jacques-Normand is a literary prize awarded to an unpublished collection of poetry. It is named after the poet and playwright Jacques Normand .

Francoise Caillaud (COMEDIENNES)
17 Rue de la Pierre Levée, 75011 Paris, France

Daughter of the painter Louis Caillaud of Angers, Francoise Caillaud studied at the Conservatoire national supérieur d’art dramatique before breaking into television and theatre in the mid 1960s. Early successes included Dom Juan or the Stone Feast by Marcel Bluwal, but she will be best remembered for the 1967 hospital soap opera Salle 8. Set in a Parisian hospital it follows two interns, Anne (Francoise Caillaud) and Serge (Bernard Henry), as they navigate the daily dramas of their burgeoning medical careers.

Gérard Melet (CHANTEURS ET CHANTEUSES)
52 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris, France

As a solo artist, singer Gérard Melet released a number of quality EPs on the Barclay label during the 1960s. As a writer, his songs were recorded and released by none other than Lesley Gore, Richard Anthony and the great Dusty Springfield. Later in the 1970s and 80s he moved into production, mostly for the Disques Trema label, one of most successful independent labels in France. The joy of creativity was at the heart of his work and he was drawn more towards visual art as he got older.

Librairie-café Violette and Co
52 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris, France

Violette and Co. is a feminist, lesbian, and LGBTQIA+ bookshop and café with a thriving programme of literary events and salons. The bookshop is named after the French lesbian writer Violette Leduc.

Edouard Duleu (Accordeon)
119 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris, France

Accordionist Édouard Duleu first came to Paris in the 1930s where he worked as a firefighter, but it was after the war that he made a name for himself as a musician here. Although he wasn’t as prolific as fellow accordionists Marcel Azzola, Gus Viseur, Jo Privat, André Verchuren, and Yvette Horner, he was a major mover in the 1950s. A time when the Parisian dance halls came back to life after World War II, and the musette style became the most popular dance in France. Duleu was awarded several international and national prizes, including the Grand Prix du disque de l’Académie Charles-Cros en 1955.

La Maison des métallos
94 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris, France

This building was first built in 1881 as the Gautrot musical instrument factory before being taken over by Amédée Couesnon. The Couesnon company was famous worldwide for the quality of its instruments. Many of their instruments were owned by American jazz musicians who came to Paris, like the trombonist Bill Tamper. Both Alexandre Lagoya and Henri Salvador played their guitars. It is now a cultural and arts centre based in the former HQ of France’s metallurgy union.

Things to do in the 11th arrondissement
Read a book in Librairie-café Violette and Co
Go to a concert at La Maison des Métallos