Scènes en Campagne

Scènes en Campagne: When Live Performance Reveals Rural Heritage

Conceived and supported by the Departmental Council of Saône-et-Loire, Scènes en Campagne is a unique traveling festival that happily blends live performances with the discovery of rural heritage. Since its creation in 2022, this free summer event travels across the department to inhabit exceptional and often little-known heritage sites, offering audiences magical evenings where art dialogues with history.

An Original and Immersive Concept

The principle of Scènes en Campagne is as simple as it is brilliant: each evening begins with a guided tour of the heritage site—led by the owners or local associations—before giving way to live performances. This immersion in heritage enhances the understanding of the territory and gives a special resonance to the artistic performances that follow. Visitors discover washhouses, bread ovens, forges, tile factories, medieval towers, and mills, all testaments to ancestral know-how.

Ten Evenings Across the Department

From June to July, Scènes en Campagne takes over ten remarkable sites spread throughout Saône-et-Loire, from Bresse bourguignonne to Mâconnais, from Charolais to Chalonnais. Each edition explores a different heritage theme: washhouses and ovens, medieval towers and keeps, mills and presses. This thematic approach highlights the richness and diversity of the department's built heritage.

A Demanding Artistic Program

The artistic program showcases the departmental and regional scene, with performances in theater, contemporary dance, circus, music, and multidisciplinary acts. The selected companies offer artistic forms adapted to the venues—intimate, surprising, often outdoors—creating a unique and ephemeral atmosphere. The festival is also a powerful tool for cultural education, making live art accessible in rural areas in a spirit of sharing and discovery.