The Minister of Culture announced the certification of the first six “Centres nationaux de la Marionnette” (CNMa) including L’Hectare - Territoires vendômois, during a visit to Nouvelle Aquitaine on September 30, 2022.
TheHectare is a major player in Centre-Val de Loire with a real influence, including internationally, and which gives to the department of Loir-et-Cher predominantly rural, an original coloration and strengthens its attractiveness.
It contributes to the influence of this popular art that is puppetry, often unknown and identified as reserved for the «young audience» still too often.
L'Hectare conducts a structuring action in its territory both in terms of puppetry and as part of its multidisciplinary season. Over time, he has developed considerable expertise in the field of puppetry, an aesthetic where creativity is alive today.
In view of all its qualities, the structure was officially awarded the label of National Puppetry Centre October 8th at "Mario Weekend, let’s celebrate together the puppet"!
Established by decree in November 2021, this new artistic creation label recognizes the importance of this popular art and its role in renewing the aesthetics of the performing arts.
The cultural and artistic irrigation of this semi-rural territory is a reality. The quality and diversity of the partnerships forged by the Hectare is to be welcomed.
A multidisciplinary cultural season
It is based on popular disciplines including puppetry: track arts, song, storytelling, humour in order to seduce audiences without abandoning excellence and demand. Approximately nine puppet shows/year are broadcast outside of the festival. The programming is open to young audiences.
The Hectare “a public service of art and culture” reaches 16,000 spectators, more than 20% of whom are under the age of 26 (excluding school children).
Each year are proposed to 12 different communes out of the 65 that make up the agglomeration community to host shows. This nomadic season is composed of 30 titles in addition to the 40 shows that are given in Vendôme (40% of the shows are broadcast outside the city of Vendôme).
Partnerships and networks
The Blois National Scene is an important partner. Together, they set up a cross-subscription, various large-format receptions, programming and cross-support in the form of residency, and participatory mediation actions following shows in the villages between these cities.
L'Hectare works in conjunction with l'Échalier, a rural cultural development agency, a place certified Ateliers de Fabrique Artistique by the Ministry of Culture since 2016 and agreed via a multi-agency agreementannual targets that link the five levels of communities. L'Échalier welcomes artists in residence of work and/ or construction and carries out an important work of artistic diffusion and artistic mediation in all aesthetics.
L'Hectare is also a member of Scène O Centre, the network of live entertainment professionals in the Centre-Val de Loire region, and also Jazz migration, the Syndicat National des Scènes Publiques.
Cultural action
Every year about twenty professional artists are solicited. The cultural action component is particularly developed in schools. L'Hectare collaborates with eight classes for two consecutive years for “puppet classes” at the college. In partnership with the National Education is offered about twenty workshops of artistic practices for students from kindergarten to terminale.
As far as the EAC is concerned, in September 2023, in Vendôme, will open the first theatre-style classes (CHAT) with puppet colouring for a year-long experiment.
The accompaniment
The Hectare does not neglect artistic permanence by accompanying five associated companies (emerging or not) between 2020 and 2023 (contributions in co-productions, provision of workspaces and construction, artistic, technical and administrative support)
«The incubator» is a device intended to promote professional integration by guiding a young artist in the creation of his first work. A good example is the company of Lou Simon, released from ESNAM in 2017, whose first show was noticed at the Charleville-Mézières World Puppet Theatre Festival in 2021.
This team is keen to be attentive to the renewal of forms in the puppetry sector and to promising start-ups. The integration of these young people is still on the agenda.
L'Hectare applies the charter «artistic accompaniment charter» of Latitude Marionnette, to which he contributed a lot for its construction and deployment. Between 2020 and 2022, eight companies were accompanied, including six in the field of puppetry.
An example of international support
The trajectory of the company Stéréoptique (Romain Bermond and Jean-Baptiste Maillet), a company agreed by the DRAC and the Centre-Val de Loire region since 2017 is exemplary. This company has been spotted and supported by the Hectare for over ten years. She works in an aesthetic between object theatre, multimedia image, visual arts and live music (265 performances during the last convention, opened the IN d'Avignon in 2017). Their partners are as an example: the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Criée de Marseille, the network of Scènes Nationales, Folimage, the Musée national de Louviers...
The Centre-Val de Loire Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate congratulates the Hectare team and its director for this recognition.