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| Aurillac International Street Theater Festival | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aurillac International Street Theater Festival |
| Native name | Festival International de Théâtre de Rue d'Aurillac |
| Location | Aurillac, Cantal, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Dates | August (annual) |
| Genre | Street theatre, performing arts, puppetry, circus, visual theatre |
Aurillac International Street Theater Festival The Aurillac International Street Theater Festival is an annual performing arts festival held each August in Aurillac, Cantal, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Founded in the 1980s amid wider European developments in outdoor performance, the festival assembles companies, collectives, and artists from across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia to present site-specific work, processional pieces, and experimental productions in public spaces. It functions as a nexus for exchange among institutions such as the Centre National de la Danse, the Comédie-Française, the Festival d'Avignon, and independent ensembles, and it influences programming at events like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Festival Internacional Cervantino.
The festival emerged during a period marked by the rise of companies including Royal de Luxe, Compagnie du Théâtre de la Tête Noire, and Groupe F that redefined outdoor spectacle in the late 20th century. Early iterations involved collaborations with cultural policies of the Ministry of Culture (France), regional authorities in Auvergne, and local institutions such as the Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie d'Aurillac. Over decades, the event expanded from a local celebration to an international rendezvous, paralleling the trajectories of the Avignon Off and the Nancy Jazz Pulse movement. Political and social moments—interactions with European Capital of Culture candidacies and responses to regulations from the European Union—shaped its governance and funding model.
Programming is curated by a team linked to municipal bodies in Aurillac and networks like the Fédération Nationale des Arts de la Rue and the Association Internationale des Festivals de Théâtre de Rue. The festival balances invited companies, open-call selections, and coproductions with venues such as the Théâtre de la Ville, regional congress centers, and touring partners like Chaos Théâtre and La Villette. Educational and professional components include forums akin to the Officium and exchange sessions resembling formats used at the Biennale de la Danse and the Motovun Film Festival. Partnerships with broadcasters such as France Télévisions and agencies like the Institut Français support international residencies and touring logistics.
Performances occur across the medieval streets of Aurillac, the Place du 4 Septembre, public gardens, disused industrial sites, and adapted indoor venues like the Salle Georges Brassens. The festival showcases forms from puppetry traditions influenced by groups like Bread and Puppet Theater to contemporary circus companies related to Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Éloize. Street parades, night spectacles with pyrotechnics reminiscent of Les Machines de l'île, and intimate interventions in courtyards reflect practices shared with La Fête du Roi de l'Oiseau and Feria de Abril processions. Technical crews collaborate with suppliers experienced in rigging for events such as the Roskilde Festival and the Glastonbury Festival.
Audiences combine local residents from Cantal and nearby departments like Haute-Loire with international visitors arriving via Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport and rail links to Gare de Clermont-Ferrand. Attendance figures have varied, peaking in years that coincided with major international tours and municipal promotions similar to campaigns conducted by the Office du Tourisme de Paris. Demographics reflect families, students linked to institutions such as the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique, and cultural professionals who attend market-oriented sessions comparable to those at the European Festival Association conferences.
The festival contributes to the local economy through hotel occupancy in establishments registered with the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie and increased activity in restaurants, markets, and artisanal shops common to the Place du Square. It has catalyzed investments in urban regeneration projects like revitalized façades and public lighting initiatives modeled on interventions funded by the Fond Européen de Développement Régional. Culturally, the event has enhanced the visibility of performing arts collectives, influenced municipal cultural strategies similar to those in Bordeaux and Nantes, and fostered international collaborations with institutions including the Théâtre National de Chaillot.
Notable participants have included companies and artists associated with Royal de Luxe, Compagnie Le Cirque Plume, Juliette Gréco-era cabaret revivalists, and directors who later worked with the Comédie-Française or on festivals like the Festival d'Avignon. Productions that gained international attention after appearances include large-scale spectacles akin to La Machine projects, puppetry works in the lineage of Sankai Juku aesthetics, and cross-disciplinary shows influenced by choreographers from the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. Collaborations with playwrights commissioned by entities such as the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques have further amplified the festival's artistic profile.
The festival has received recognition from regional and national cultural bodies, comparable to honors conferred by the Conseil régional d'Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and acknowledgments in publications like Le Monde and Télérama. It features jury-awarded prizes for innovation and audience engagement, modeled on award frameworks used at the Festival d'Avignon and the Prague Quadrennial. International networks such as the European Festivals Association have cited the event for its role in sustaining itinerant performance practices.
Category:Festivals in France Category:Performing arts festivals Category:Street theatre