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| La Chartreuse (Centre national des écritures du spectacle) | |
|---|---|
| Name | La Chartreuse (Centre national des écritures du spectacle) |
| Established | 1975 |
| Location | 20, rue Claude-Bernard, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Gard, France |
| Type | Centre national des écritures du spectacle |
La Chartreuse (Centre national des écritures du spectacle) is an arts centre located in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, housed in a former Carthusian monastery. It functions as a national laboratory for theatrical, literary, musical, and performative writing, hosting residencies, seminars, workshops, and productions that link contemporary practice with European and international networks. The institution engages with artists, scholars, cultural organizations, and municipal and national bodies to sustain creative research and public dissemination.
La Chartreuse originated in the context of post-1968 cultural policy debates and the decentralization efforts associated with figures like André Malraux and institutions such as the Maison de la Culture de Grenoble. The monastery site dates to the late medieval era and passed through episodes linked to the Avignon Papacy, the Hundred Years' War, and the transformations following the French Revolution. In the 20th century the complex was repurposed for cultural uses influenced by initiatives from the Ministère de la Culture and by resonance with projects like the Festival d'Avignon and the Comédie-Française. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s its programming intersected with currents around directors and writers associated with Peter Brook, Ariane Mnouchkine, Tadeusz Kantor, and playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Bertolt Brecht, while institutional collaborations involved the Centre National du Théâtre and the Fondation Royaumont.
The site occupies a former Charterhouse with cloisters, chapter house, cells, and a chapel, reflecting monastic typologies comparable to Certosa di Pavia and Chartreuse de Paris in material logic. Architectural elements exhibit Romanesque and Gothic phases and later restorations akin to conservation work overseen by the Monuments historiques administration. Gardens and terraces align with Provençal landscape traditions near the Rhône and the Mont Ventoux vista, establishing sightlines toward the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Adaptive reuse interventions balanced preservation requirements set by the Direction régionale des Affaires culturelles with programmatic needs for rehearsal halls, libraries, and accommodation.
La Chartreuse defines its mission through research, creation, and transmission, engaging with dramaturgy, composition, choreography, and critical writing. It coordinates thematic cycles resonant with debates found in venues like the Théâtre de la Ville, the TGP (Théâtre Gérard Philipe), and festivals such as the Festival d'Automne à Paris and the Avignon Off. Programs include artist residencies, public seminars, publication series comparable to those of the Éditions Gallimard and collaborations with research entities like the École normale supérieure, the Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, and the CNRS.
Residency offerings support playwrights, composers, directors, choreographers, and theorists drawn from networks including La Comédie-Française, Schaubühne, Royal Court Theatre, and institutions like the Maison des écrivains et de la littérature. Research activities link archival inquiry with practice-based experiments similar to initiatives at the Tate Modern research centre and the Institut d'études avancées model. Visiting fellows have included practitioners conversant with the work of Heiner Müller, Pina Bausch, Wajdi Mouawad, and scholars working on figures such as Jacques Derrida and Roland Barthes.
Productions initiated at La Chartreuse have toured regional and international circuits, collaborating with companies like Théâtre du Soleil, Complicité, Royal Shakespeare Company, Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, and presenters including the Opéra national de Paris and the Biennale de Venise (performing arts sections). Co-productions often receive support from funders such as the Centre National du Livre and the European Commission cultural programmes, and partner festivals include Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venice Biennale, Salzburg Festival, and Biennale de Lyon.
Governance comprises a board and an artistic direction modelled on French national cultural establishments, interacting with the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication and regional authorities like the Région Occitanie. Funding mixes public subsidies, project grants from bodies such as the DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, European cultural funds like Creative Europe, private patrons, and partnerships with foundations including the Fondation de France and corporate sponsors associated with arts philanthropy in France and Europe.
La Chartreuse opens parts of its archives, library, and studios to researchers, students, and the public, staging workshops that mirror pedagogical programs at institutions like the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique, the École nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre, and the Conservatoire de Paris. Educational outreach engages secondary and higher education partners including the Université d'Aix-Marseille and the Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, while public-facing events complement those of the Festival d'Avignon and local cultural life in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Avignon.
Category:Cultural centres in France Category:Theatres in France Category:Residency programs