Casarts Grand Theatre

Casarts was designed by Christian de Portzamparc, begun in 2014 and completed in the early 2020s, and it occupies a whole side of Mohammed V square opposite the Mauresque public buildings of the 1920s - a deliberate confrontation between the protectorate city and a contemporary one. The building is white concrete with a curved leaning wall towards the square, and it holds a main theatre of about 1,800 seats, a modular hall for around 600, rehearsal spaces and an open forecourt designed to be used as a public performance space in its own right, with the facade functioning as a backdrop. Total floor area is around 25,000 square metres, which makes it among the largest theatre complexes on the continent. The building took years longer than planned and its programming has been slower to establish than the structure. What it does well is join the square rather than sit apart from it.

What you actually see

• A leaning white wall - a curved concrete face turned towards the square.
• A public forecourt - designed for performance with the facade as backdrop.
• Two halls - about 1,800 seats and a modular 600, in 25,000 square metres.
• A deliberate contrast - contemporary architecture facing the 1920s Mauresque buildings.

When to go

October to April; evenings for a performance or the lit exterior. An hour.

Honest expectations

Programming has been slower to build than the building itself - check what is on. Interior access outside performances is limited. The square is busy with traffic. The scale is impressive rather than warm.

Nearby

Mohammed V square's colonial buildings face it; the old medina is north.