Festival Contes des 5 Continents

A festival dedicated to world storytelling

Created in 2017 by the Théâtre du Tiroir, a professional theater company based in Laval for nearly forty years, the Contes des 5 Continents festival has become a must-see event in the winter cultural season in Mayenne. Every year in February, for two weeks, the Petit Théâtre Jean Macé transforms into a stage open to the world, where stories travel from one continent to another for the greatest pleasure of young and old alike.

The festival hosts an average of five professional companies that present three shows per day, at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m., thus offering a dense and varied program that allows each spectator to discover several universes over the days. The performances, with a duration adapted for young audiences, are also designed to captivate adults with the quality of their narration and staging.

Stories from all corners of the globe

The festival's program draws from the immense repertoire of oral traditions from all continents. You can discover modernized Indian fables, reinvented African tales, Slavic legends such as those of Baba Yaga, stories from Latin America or Asia, as well as contemporary creations inspired by European oral heritage. Each performance is an invitation to travel, a bridge between cultures that recalls the universality of the stories that humanity has been passing down since the dawn of time.

Among the regularly invited companies are the Compagnie du Moulin en Herbe, the Compagnie Canopée, and of course the Théâtre du Tiroir itself, whose creations blend storytelling, object theater, and music. Shows like La mécanique de petit Pierre, Le rire de la lune, Tout conte fait Baba Yaga, or Petites bêtes pas bêtes illustrate the diversity of forms and origins explored.

An emblematic venue: the Petit Théâtre Jean Macé

The festival takes place at the Petit Théâtre Jean Macé, located at 8 rue Jean Macé in Laval. This intimate venue, managed by the Théâtre du Tiroir since 1995, is housed in a former chapel converted into a theater creation and performance space. Its warm atmosphere and small capacity foster a unique closeness between artists and the audience, ideal for the art of storytelling where words and gaze create a direct link between the storyteller and their audience.

In 2026, for its tenth edition, the venue was renamed Petit Théâtre Hind Rajab, marking a strong symbolic gesture by the company.

A family-friendly and accessible event

The Contes des 5 Continents festival stands out for its commitment to accessibility. Prices are designed for families, with family passes for one or two weeks allowing you to fully enjoy the program. The format of the shows, generally between 30 and 50 minutes, is adapted to the attention span of the youngest while offering a true artistic experience. The staggered times throughout the day allow everyone to create their own festival itinerary according to their desires and availability.

Over the editions, the festival has built a loyal family audience that returns each year to discover new stories, contributing to making this event a special moment of intergenerational sharing around spoken word.