Description

"La Chocolaterie, space for theatre and other vitalities".

Three main objectives concern our project:

  the theatrical research and the production of performances and happenings.
La Chocolaterie is not defined as a programmation space: each performances is linked with a research and production work of the Actuel Free Théâtre, and of artists and teams (professionals or non-professionals), who will share for a short time or for a long period a process that we will follow.

  training and creative processes for professionals and non-professionals.

  an experimentation of relationships between the poetic and the urban, particularly under the shape of a "laboratory of creations of public and poetic expressions".

The Actuel Free théâtre regroups, for 3 years, an artists collective and technicians coming from various fields (theatre, literature, music, fine arts, architecture, social workers...). Since then, this collective has spread and has become the "leader" for La Chocolaterie projects.

Former use : warehouse for furniture, then chocolate factory and finally computer furniture store
Total surface of the site : 430 m2
Localization : city centre
Foundation year of the centre : 60’s
Type of occupation : commercial renting 3/6/9
Owner of the building : private

Infrastructures / Facilities

Waiting for the refurbishing in 2004, the space is at its primitive state.
1 courtyard: 37 m2, which gives access directly to the building.
In 2003: improvements of 2 working rooms insulated and heat up (60 m2 with 2m20 high and 50 m2 with 2m50 high).

2 parts of the building:

  a vast room (300 m2)

  a long room (95 m2) with above, on the first floor, a 95 m2 room for offices.

After the ending of the engineering work, the building should be as follow:

  in the 300 m2 room: a working and presentation area (210 m2; 14x15) + a hosting room (with bar and a restaurant: 86 m2; 10,20x8,50)

  in the 95 m2 room, on the ground floor, a sanitary space (25 m2) + a handmade workshop and a material warehouse (65 m2)

  in the 95 m2 room, on the first floor, a working and meeting area (20 m2) + an administration area (43 m2) + an area for lacrexpupo (laboratory for creations of public and poetic expressions: 20 m2)

Social and artistic disciplines

 Stages: stages for permanent trainings of dramatic artists or choreographers, with the help of the AFDAS and the ANPE.
Workshops of artistic work for school boys and girls, for students.
All training in collaboration with a cultural, medical or social structure...
Experimentation between non professionals and professionals.

At college: workshop for theatre practices at the Arago de Villeneuve Saint-Georges College (Val-de-Marne).
In medical institutions: CMP teenagers, in Rungis city (theatre training in july).
At the Fondation Vallée (Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital), in Gentilly: theatre training.
At La Chocolaterie: theatre training (weekly), for adults.

 Poetic and urban: after a lectures saison (2001/2002), at the Fresnes Library, around poets from the 20th century and today, we have following this action in 2003 in other libraries of Ile de France (Bibliothèque de la Ferme du Buisson à Marne-La-Vallée / lectures of texts from Oulipo poets, Bibliothèque de Rueil-Malmaison,...), and to La Chocolaterie.

LES IMPROMPTUS: we have gathered the words of inhabitants about their confrontation to the physical shape of the city, and particular points in the town (streets and avenues, public buildings and daily routes...), from which initiators of the project walk through the town and invite people to listen to the words of other persons.

LA RANDONNEE, "DECOUVERTE DES PORTES ET DES PASSAGES DE LA VILLE": a walking, punctuated with poetic lectures and historical or urbanistic information.

The lacrexpupo is at the origin of a first work-in-progress in the heart of a process "the city and the poesy", made in 2003, "Les gouttes du Kremlin". It associates actors and dancers in a collective work.
12 short theatrical forms, written from inhabitants words from the Kremlin-Bicêtre (interviews made in May-June 2003), by 6 writers and performed by 18 actors and dancers. Those performances were realized in various public spaces of the city, from the 17th to the 25th of November, 2003.
This project is a first step, others are coming, spreading this process to the Kremlin-Bicêtre and to other areas in the years 2004/2005.

When the refurbishing will be ended, a 25 m2 room, on the first floor, will be fit out for offices and for an exploration and resource center focuses on urban actions for the development of the town by the inhabitants.

 CULTURAL ACTIONS LINKED TO THE CREATION FOR 2004:
LES GOUTTES DE GEO: realization of a spectacular event which will show the industry memory, the inhabitants memory, the imaginary around the industry (its former activity, its coming demolition and its destination to come). To know more about this project

LES ARBRES A FABLES DU QUARTIER PAUL BOURGET: the Paul Bourget district is very closed, faces for few years now integration difficulties for families coming from the African immigration . Our project will consist to interconnect their words and the public words through a festive event for the district and in the district.
To know more about the project

 PEDAGOGICAL ACTIONS AND TRAININGS FOR 2004 :
WORKSHOP FREE THEATRE AT LA CHOCOLATERIE:
Weekly all along the year- for non professional
1 workshop for adults (open since October 2003)
1 workshop for teenagers (be opened in September 2004)

TRAININGS FOR ACTORS AND DANCERS:
AFDAS- August and September "Theatre and dance: the frictions of the game and the question of the outside".

TRAININGS European Social Funds:
May- June 2004- persons living with the Minimum Salary
This training is in collaboration with the action "industry memory/ popular culture- Gouttes de Géo"

WORKSHOPS AT SCHOOL:
Jean-Perrin School in Kremlin-Bicêtre

WORKSHOP FOR TEENAGERS IN CMP (Medical Psychological Centre):
Vallée Foundation- Centre in Rungis (open since July 2003)

WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS IN PSYCHIATRICAL SECTOR:
Weekly in 2004- A.P.P.R.E.S.S

Financial support

Main partners for 2004:

 DRAC Ile de France

 Région Ile de France

 Val de Marne Department

 Paris City (Politics of the city and Local Development of the 13th district)

 European Social Funds

 The Ecomusée of Fresnes + the city of Kremlin-Bicêtre

 Direction des Affaires Culturelles

 Direction de la politique de la ville

 Thatre : ECAM (Cultural Space André Malraux)