La Mousson d’Été (Pont-à-Mousson)

Founded in 1995, La Mousson d’été is an organization whose goal is to promote creation and innovation in theatrical writing. It is based at the Abbaye des Prémontrés in Pont-à-Mousson, with its influence extending to the Grand Est region, to national and international level. It aims at developing contemporary plays’ outreach, facilitating collaborations between playwrights and structures specialized in the production and dissemination of contemporary theatrical works (publishers, companies and theatrical institutions) as well as spectators’ critical training. In addition to its ongoing support for writers and writer-playwrights, in the form of residencies, workshops, assistance with writing, translation and publication, the association organizes two annual events:

“La Mousson d’hiver”, Theatrical Encounters for the Youth: this initiative dedicated to the youth (teenagers & young adults) offers a set of workshops and encounters with the goal to demystify the act of playwriting and to give a taste for dramatic art. A selection of contemporary pieces chosen by La Mousson d’été’s Reading Committee is performed in the form of staged readings by the young people themselves, for the benefit of their peers.

“La Mousson d’été” – International Theatre Encounters and European Summer University: a major European meeting for the discovery, training and promotion of new theatrical writing. From staged readings, to playful, cabaret-like formats, conversations and performances, its rich and varied program offers everyone a wide range of discoveries around new playwriting. The programming of La Mousson d’été is based on the advice of its Reading Committee made up of around fifteen professionals in contemporary theater writing, which meets throughout the year to discuss the texts.

www.meec.org

Théâtre Ouvert (Paris)

Born in 1971, the Theatre became in 1988 the first National Drama Centre Foundation solely dedicated to the discovery, promotion and dissemination of contemporary works of French writing authors and, after some years, of foreign playwrights. In 2011, the Theatre becomes the National Centre for Contemporary Dramaturgies and continues to investigate new dramaturgies and playwrights. The Theatre is mainly supported by the French Culture Ministry but also the City of Paris and the Region Ile-de-France.

Théâtre Ouvert mission is to promote the renewal of contemporary dramaturgy and encourage the emergence of new writings by research and testing, support the development of these writings through production, publishing, dissemination of texts and theatrical forms (stage presentations, mise en espace, shows, radio plays…). The implementation of this mission is based both on an “underground” work (reading of manuscripts by the permanent team, dramaturgical advice during peer to peer sessions with the authors, linking authors with artists teams of directors and actors, research and residencies  driven in particular through EPAT – Practice School of Theatre Playwrights) and public display of the results of this work (plays published in Tapuscrit collection, public presentations at various stages of creation).  The theatre counts two stages, the large one of 200 seats and the small one of 100 seats in which more than a hundred openings per season are proposed, with a mixed offer of new productions, festival highlights and participatory projects.

www.theatre-ouvert.com