Since 2008, the compagnonnage system has been designed to promote the transmission and professional integration within theatre companies, puppetry, circus and street arts. This assistance from the Ministry of Culture allows a young director or author to collaborate with artistic teams.
Presentation of the device
What is companionship assistance?
Companionship is a device that allows a novice director or author to benefit from an accompaniment process within a company. In this context, the authors are led to write an original work and the directors to present a model
The collaboration between the companion and the artistic team is organized around sequences of exchanges, work and presentation to the public.
The elaboration of a timetable detailing these working, exchange and porosity times must thus be the pivot element of any search for an inscription in the companion device.
This device is of primary interest in the professionalization of artistic teams, and even in support of emergence. It cannot be assimilated to a production aid or a text order, even if it incorporates these purposes. Companionship intended to to encourage new forms of cooperation, he/she cannot be a regular employee of the company.
Trans-regional exchanges will have to be sought, particularly in the overseas regions.
The system consists of two types of aid: the Compagnonnage Plateau and the Compagnonnage Auteur(s).
Objectives of the approach
Compagnonnage Plateau
The Compagnonnage Plateau aims to promote the transmission and professional integration between a confirmed artistic team and a companion(e), a novice director. It allows you to accompany artists at the beginning of their professional career or to take a step in the course of it thanks to a privileged collaboration with companies agreed by the State (theatre, puppets, circus and street arts, etc.).
The companions will thus have the opportunity to understand concretely all aspects of the profession and to design and produce shows, in a spirit of transmission, sharing of experience and know-how.
The «weaving» of the partnerships thus achieved should ultimately allow a successful territorial implementation and promote access to project assistance especially for young teams.
Companionship author(s)
Le Compagnonnage Auteur(s) encourages artistic teams and contemporary authors to work together and to share time of exchange during the process of writing and adapting the text to the stage.
This device aims to accompany the collaboration between an author(s) outside the company and the team itself. It differs from a production aid in that it must allow the financing of the writing order to the author, but also significant exchange times with the company for its adaptation to the stage.
The duration of this collaboration (between 1 year and 18 months), must necessarily include the commission of a new work (excluding adaptation) to one or more authors, a phase of exchanges with the artistic team, and the participation of the author(s) its setting and presentation to the public.
Am I concerned by this approach?
- Associations
- Private companies
Compagnonnage Plateau
The host companies, carriers of the demand, must be contracted by the State under thedeconcentrated aids to live entertainment (ADSV) (3 or 4 years) and have spaces (own or made available to it) and adapted means of work.
On the proposal of the DRAC concerned, will also be eligible companies not covered by an agreement, but proposing a project carried by an artist or a confirmed team provided that:
- they work in the field of gesture, mime and storytelling
- and/or that they are located in the overseas departments.
The accompanied artist must have an artistic activity identified independently of the host company, without necessarily being structured in company.
Priority will be given to:
- Applications for companionship allowing theaccess to stage/dramaturgy assistantship, and comprising a commitment to reciprocity and a tool sharing, both artistically and technically or administratively, from the conception of a show to its realization. On the one hand, the "welcomed" artist (and his artistic team) collaborates in the implementation of an artistic project or a production of the "welcoming" company, and on the other hand, the latter gives the "companion" the means to experiment with his own creation. distinct from the host company’s artistic project and taking the form of a “model” of a show.
- The applications gathering artists recently released from the network of drama colleges under the Ministry of Culture or those justifying a vocational retraining initiative.
Companionship must include the development of a mock-up for professional presentation. This model, conceived above all as a sketch, a research and experimental work not directly linked to a production project, constitutes an important element of the final evaluation produced by the company covered by the aid.
Companionship Author(s)
The welcoming company and holder of the application must be covered by an agreement OR have project assistance in the three years preceding the application. As part of the companionship, the applicant must:
- undertake to commission an original work in French
- associate its author(s) with the editing process, the confrontation of the text with the stage and its presentation to the public
- undertake to remunerate the author(s) for an amount fixed by mutual agreement but which may not be less than €7,000, and in accordance with a work programme and a provisional budget presented at the time of submission of the application. This amount must cover the copyright as well as the remuneration of the author’s participation in the set. Other charges (compensation, wages linked to actions directed towards the public) cannot be charged to this item.
Collaboration with the author(s) can take various forms, which must be specified, and involve at least public readings of the work "commissioned".
The following may be accompanied as part of the scheme:
- playwrights in which at least one work has been published (not for the benefit of authors) or has been the subject of public performances under professional conditions
- or writers of a certain level of notoriety (and already published not at own expense) who would like to engage in theatrical writing
- or young authors not yet published or played, but identified by the Commission d'aide à la création de textes dramatiques d'Artcena (beneficiaries of the incentive aid) or who have already received assistance from the Beaumarchais association (SACD) or the National Book Centre (CNL).
Beyond the production that can be made by the company, the text will have its own existence and can be staged by other teams.
An author may only be submitted each year for one project and must respect a period of three years before being able to benefit from this mechanism. He may not benefit more than twice from this device.
Host companies or authors who have already benefited from the scheme must have submitted the results of this previous aid. Otherwise, their new application will not be considered.
Compagnonnage Plateau
The same team may only apply for assistance per calendar year. Companies that have benefited from the Plateau Compagnonnage are once again eligible for a new compagnonnage only two years after the application has been submitted and only subject to receipt of its balance sheet.
A “companion” can only use this device once.
Artists running state-certified venues (CDN, PNC, CNAREP, CNMa) and production offices are not eligible for this scheme.
Companionship Author(s)
The author must be distinct from the director and cannot be a regular collaborator of the company.
An author will only be able to participate each year in a single request for companionship and will have to respect a three-year period before being able to benefit from this mechanism again. He may not benefit more than twice from this device.
The companies benefiting from this scheme are eligible again only two years after the submission of the previously accepted application.
This aid may not be combined either with the schemes of the same type (companionship, sponsorship or any other name) proposed by the Regions, or with the aid granted in the context of residences or for any other action having the same object, or finally with the aid granted by the CNL or the Beaumarchais association (SACD).
Adaptation projects are excluded from this provision and the text must not have been written before the application is submitted.
The duration of the fellowship will vary depending on the nature of the project. In order to favour a collaboration over a long time, however, it cannot be less than a year or a season. Unless there is a reasoned exception, it shall not exceed 18 months.
Compagnonnage Plateau
The eligible expenses will relate to the salary of the artist accompanied for his assistant to the direction, those allocated to the elaboration of the model and the expenses correlated to the collaboration (type of expenses, transport in case of interregional companionship).
Half of the amount paid must be used to pay for time worked by the artist received by the company.
Companionship Author(s)
Eligible expenses will cover the ordering of text, the remuneration of the author’s working time (rehearsals, interventions/workshops with audiences, etc.) and the costs related to the collaboration (type of expenses, transport in case of interregional companionship).
Proceeding
Compagnonnage Plateau
The aid paid to the host company will be assessed according to the project and limited to €25,000.
Companionship Author(s)
The aid paid to the host company will be assessed according to the project and limited to 15,000 euros.
At the end of the appraisal process, the grants are awarded in a single instalment by the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs on which the head office of the host company depends. They are the subject of either an order or an amendment to the multiannual agreement if the company is under an agreement.
The files are reviewed by all the theatre advisors in DRAC, representatives of the theatre delegation and inspectors of the Direction générale à la création artistique DGCA. Each request is reviewed by at least four different people and then compared to the others at a DGCA meeting.
- File Open: December 29, 2022
- Application deadline: March 1, 2023, 11:59 pm (Paris time). No file may be filed or considered after this date.
- File review: April 2023
- Notification of decisions: May 2023
For the projects assisted, at the end of the compagnonnage, must be sent to the DRAC advisor concerned and to the DGCA:
- a final assessment of companionship established and co-signed by the company manager and the accompanied artist or author. Written in a free-form format, it can reveal successes as well as limitations or difficulties encountered in the context of this companionship.
- For Author companions, a copy of the work ordered in electronic format.
- To access the online form, click on the "Access form" button at the bottom of the page.
- Log in or create an account, then let yourself be guided.
A question?
If you have any questions about assistance to the authors or the set, please contact:
Creative Arts Branch (BOD)
Delegation to the Theatre and Associated Arts
compagnonnage.dgca@culture.gouv.fr
01 40 15 88 35
62 rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris
or to the decentralized service of the Ministry of Culture of the place of realization of your project:
Lyon site
- Yoan Devun, Circus Advisor: yoann.devun@culture.gouv.fr
- Jérémie Villaume, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: jeremie.villaume@culture.gouv.fr
- Stéphanie Lafforgue, Administrative Manager: stephanie.lafforgue@culture.gouv.fr
- Céline Tissot, Administrative Manager: celine.tissot@culture.gouv.fr
Clermont-Ferrand site
- Flavie Lejemtel, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: flavie.lejemtel@culture.gouv.fr
- Edith Frobert, Administrative Manager: edith.frobert@culture.gouv.fr
Dijon site
- Dorothée Villemaux, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: dorothée.villemaux@culture.gouv.fr
- Sophie Renard, Administrative Manager: sophie.renard@culture.gouv.fr
Besançon site
- Fabien Spillmann, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: fabien.spillmann@culture.gouv.fr
- Fabienne Marcot, Administrative Manager: fabienne.marcot@culture.gouv.fr
- Jean-Christophe Baudet, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: jean-christophe.baudet@culture.gouv.fr
- Axelle Villin, Administrative Manager: axelle.villin@culture.gouv.fr
- Perrine Pierson, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: perrine.person@culture.gouv.fr
- Céline Chevrieux, Administrative Manager: celine.chevrieux@culture.gouv.fr
- Jean-Luc Sarrola, Project Manager for Cultural Action: jean-luc.sarrola@culture.gouv.fr
Strasbourg site
- Catherine Zimmermann, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: catherine.zimmermann@culture.gouv.fr
- Valérie Buchert, Administrative Manager: valerie.buchert@culture.gouv.fr
Site of Châlons
- Amanda Mouellic, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: amanda.mouelllic@culture.gouv.fr
- Maria Parjoie, Administrative Manager: maria.parjoie@culture.gouv.fr
- Marie Claude Nicolas, Administrative Manager: marie-claude.nicolas@culture.gouv.fr
Metz site
- Jean-Michel Soloch, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: Jean-michel.soloch@culture.gouv.fr
- Christine Ricci, Administrative Manager: christine.ricci@culture.gouv.fr
- Peggy Rougeaux, Administrative Manager: peggy.rougeaux@culture.gouv.fr
- Sylviane Brullot, Administrative Manager: sylviane.brullot@culture.gouv.fr
- Barbara Lugez, Theatre Advisor (Lille site), public space and young audience: barbara.lugez@culture.gouv.fr
- Mounia Boudiaf, Theatre Advisor (Amiens site), puppets and circus: mounya.boudiaf@culture.gouv.fr
- Dominique Neffati, Administrative Manager: dominique.neffati@culture.gouv.fr
- Sylvain Archo, Administrative Manager: sylvain.archo@culture.gouv.fr
- Camille Noblet, Administrative Manager: camille.noblet@culture.gouv.fr
- Marie-Hélène De Sande, Administrative Manager: marie-helene.desande@culture.gouv.fr
Caen site
- Véronique Fricoteaux, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: veronique.fricoteaux@culture.gouv.fr
- Fanny Lopez, Administrative Manager: fanny-l.lopez@culture.gouv.fr
Rouen site
- Julien Delot, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: julien.delot@culture.gouv.fr
- Joël Colleville, Administrative Manager: joel.colleville@culture.gouv.fr
Bordeaux site
- Gwenaëlle Groussard, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: gwenaelle.groussard@culture.gouv.fr
- Véronique Roger, Administrative Manager: veronique.a.roger@culture.gouv.fr
Limoges site
- Marion Limeuil, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: marion.limeuil@culture.gouv.fr
- Nathalie Blondel, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: nathalie.blondet@culture.gouv.fr
Poitiers site
- Sophie Bardet, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: sophie.bardet@culture.gouv.fr
- Sophie Caruso, Administrative Manager: sophie.caruso@culture.gouv.fr
Montpellier site
- Nathalie Piat, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: nathalie.piat@culture.gouv.fr
- Evelyne Jeantet, Administrative Manager: evelyne.jeantet@culture.gouv.fr
Toulouse site
- Agnès Clausse, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: agnes.clausse@cuture.gouv.fr
- Sophie Gabilan, Administrative Manager: sophie.gabilan@culture.gouv.fr
- Pascale Canivet, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: pascale.canivet@culture.gouv.fr
- Régine Cadio, Administrative Manager: regine.cadio@culture.gouv.fr
- Magali Calbo, Administrative Manager: magali.calbo@culture.gouv.fr
- Sylvie Raissiguier, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: sylvie.raissiguier@culture.gouv.fr
- Alexandre Sauron, Administrative Manager: alexandre.sauron@culture.gouv.fr
- Delphine Cammal, Live Entertainment Advisor: delphine.cammal@culture.gouv.fr
- Amélie Yekani, Administrative Manager: amelie.yekani@culture.gouv.fr
- Céline Delaval, Live Entertainment Advisor: celine.delaval@guyane.pref.gouv.fr
- Marie Combette, Administrative Manager: marie.combette@guyane.pref.gouv.fr
- Stéphane Negrin, Theatre and Associated Arts Advisor: stephane.negrin@culture.gouv.fr
- Martine Nativel, Administrative Manager: martine.nativel@culture.gouv.fr
- Agnès Bretel, Live Entertainment Advisor: agnes.bretel@culture.gouv.fr
- Maguy Azerot, Administrative Manager: maguy.azerot@culture.gouv.fr
- Benoit Bavouset, Live Entertainment Advisor: benoit.bavouset@culture.gouv.fr