Les Hivernales de l'Essonne

Les Hivernales de l'Essonne: Theater in the Heart of Rural Villages

Founded in 2005 by the Compagnie Atelier de l'Orage, Les Hivernales de l'Essonne is one of the most original theater festivals in Île-de-France. For over twenty years, this traveling festival has brought quality performances to rural communes in southern Essonne every winter, bringing contemporary creation closer to the residents of an area often far from major cultural institutions.

A Unique Model of Residency and Diffusion

The Hivernales model is based on a fundamental principle: territorial anchoring. Rather than organizing performances in a single large venue, the festival chooses to travel to about fifteen rural communes, spread between the Saclay plateau, the Beauce plain, and the banks of the Essonne river. This itinerant approach allows audiences who would not travel to Paris or Évry to benefit from an ambitious cultural program right on their doorstep.

The Compagnie Atelier de l'Orage, based at the Espace Culturel La Villa in Villabé (91100), assumes artistic direction of the festival each year. It relies on a network of about fifteen partner communes — Villabé, Itteville, Ballancourt, Briis-sous-Forges, Leudeville, Avrainville, Fontenay-le-Vicomte, Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon, Ollainville, Le Plessis-Pâté, Lardy, Cheptainville, Marolles-en-Hurepoix, La Ferté-Alais, Vert-le-Grand — to host performances in their local spaces.

Varied Performances for All Ages

Les Hivernales has always been committed to diversity in artistic forms. The programming, initially focused on dramatic theater, has opened up over the years to many disciplines: mime, clown, contemporary dance, magic, circus, masked theater, storytelling, puppetry, and burlesque theater. Each edition generally offers two performances for different age groups, allowing families to enjoy the cultural offerings together.

The 2025 Edition: January 7 to March 9, 2025

The 2025 edition of Les Hivernales took place from January 7 to March 9, 2025, bringing performances to fifteen communes in southern Essonne with a program focused on contemporary theater. The Compagnie Atelier de l'Orage offered shows for young audiences and adults, combining evening performances and school matinees for institutions in partner communes.

The 2026 Edition: January 5 to February 14, 2026

The 2026 edition of Les Hivernales de l'Essonne took place from January 5 to February 14, 2026, highlighting masked theater with the Compagnie Les Têtes de Bois. Two performances marked the festival: Le Médecin malgré lui (ages 7 and up), a joyful adaptation of Molière's comedy featuring four actors embodying seven characters in a set made of crates and pallets, and La Visite de la vieille dame (ages 12 and up), closing the festival on February 13 and 14, a masked tale of revenge and community. Both performances toured all partner communes in the network.

Institutional Support

Les Hivernales benefit from the support of numerous institutional partners: the DRAC Île-de-France, the Région Île-de-France, the Conseil Départemental de l'Essonne, the Scène nationale de l'Essonne, the FDVA 2, as well as the Communautés de communes du Pays de Limours et du Val d'Essonne. This network of support demonstrates the festival's recognition as an essential cultural player in the rural Essonne territory.