Scènes en Campagne

Scènes en Campagne: when live performance reveals rural heritage

Conceived and supported by the Département de Saône-et-Loire, Scènes en Campagne is an itinerant festival of a singular kind that happily combines live performances and the discovery of rural heritage. Since its creation in 2022, this entirely free summer event travels across the department every June to take over exceptional and often little-known heritage sites, offering the public magical evenings where art dialogues with history.

An original and immersive concept

The principle of Scènes en Campagne is as simple as it is generous: each evening begins with a guided tour of the heritage site — provided by the owners of the premises or by local associations — before giving way to live performances. This immersion in heritage enriches the understanding of the territory and gives a particular resonance to the artistic performances that follow. Spectators thus discover wash houses, bread ovens, forges, tile factories, medieval towers, mills, chapels, and oratories — all witnesses to ancestral know-how and history.

Several evenings across the department

During June, Scènes en Campagne takes over nine remarkable sites spread throughout Saône-et-Loire, from Bresse Bourguignonne to Mâconnais, from Charolais to Chalonnais. Each edition explores a different heritage theme:

• 2022 Edition: wash houses and ovens
• 2023 Edition: ovens and forges
• 2024 Edition: medieval towers and keeps
• 2025 Edition: mills and presses
• 2026 Edition: chapels and oratories

This thematic approach highlights the richness and diversity of the departmental built heritage, while offering a new discovery route each year to residents and visitors alike.

A demanding artistic program

The artistic program gives pride of place to the departmental and regional scene, with performances of theatre, contemporary dance, circus, music, and multidisciplinary acts. The selected companies offer artistic forms adapted to the venues — intimate, surprising, often outdoors — which create a unique and ephemeral atmosphere. The festival is also a formidable agent of cultural education, making live art accessible in rural areas in a spirit of sharing and discovery.

A departmental cultural initiative

Scènes en Campagne is part of the ambitious cultural policy of the Département de Saône-et-Loire, which supports access to culture throughout the territory and the enhancement of local heritage. The festival is managed by the Department's Directorate of Cultural Action Policies, in close collaboration with site owners, host communes, and local associations.