LA GARE À COULISSES

The Gare à Coulisses is based in the Drôme in France, between Lyon and Marseille in the countryside. The Gare à Coulisses, created by the architects Jean François Galmiche, Véronica Etasse and Martha d’Oxford, is made of three buildings. Based on an old railway station, the structure was entirely built using ecological practices and is part of the Ecosite of The Drôme valley.
It’s a center for street arts managed by the Transe Express company. Its goals are to support creation and programming by helping production and training. It’s a ‘cultural melting pot’ for different art practices (plastic arts, theatre, dance, fairground art, rock, comedy, video, percussion, opera, fire; lights, circus, acrobatics…). La Gare à Coulisses is an original place in the Rhône-Alpes region, designated for creation. It’s a place founded on the meeting between a territory and artistic teams – thanks to regular programming of shows and concerts on its premises and the collaborations made outside its walls with local partners.
It’s a great mixture of energies: creators, technicians, artists who find themselves on the verge of different artistic disciplines and experiment with new forms of practices and artistic expressions. It’s also a place of learning which aims at professionalizing creators, performers and technicians. Creators can find everything needed to build the structures, machinery, decorations, costumes and accessories for their spectacles.
The artistic teams are welcomed for residencies, whether regular ones (rehearsals of local groups) or punctual ones (3 days to 3 weeks). Part of its premises is available for these residencies: spaces dedicated to construction and work (workshop for wood and iron, decors and accessories, music room), a space for rehearsals and shows (the Kiosque à Coulisses: height 8 to 10 m, 200m2 including 100 m2 of wooden floor, that can be opened on an outdoor theater, public up to 200 pers, sound and lighting equipment) and a place for living (kitchen, meeting room…). Possibility to be hosted in caravans and take meals on site. Modes of reception of the groups will be determined according to the type of cultural exchange decided. A meeting with the public – in the form of a preview performance – is strongly encouraged.