Contemporary · Architecture

Le Quai

Angers

Le Quai is a cultural space in Angers, in the French department of Maine-et-Loire. Developed by the city of Angers and the Ministry of Culture and Communication, it was conceived as a place for creation, diffusion, training, and awareness. The project, initiated in 2002, led to the laying of the first stone in 2004 and cost 35 million euros.

Designed by Architecture-studio to high environmental quality standards, the building stands on the right bank of the Maine River opposite the Château d'Angers. It includes a terrace and a panoramic restaurant called La Réserve. Le Quai hosts the Centre Dramatique National d'Angers (CDN), known as Le Quai CDN, and the Centre national de danse contemporaine (Cndc). Its programming brings together theater, dance, music, opera, world music, circus, street arts, and plastic arts, and it is described as a space for creation, shows, and meetings for all publics.

Map showing the location of Le Quai in Angers
Location of Le Quai in Angers

Nearby Objects

Cultural Functions at Le Quai

Le Quai, known as Intro, is a cultural space in the city of Angers, in the French department of Maine-et-Loire. It opened in and was inaugurated the following month. The site hosts two permanent institutions: the National Dramatic Center called Le Quai CDN and the National Center for Contemporary Dance, known as Cndc. These functions place the building within the citys cultural life as a venue dedicated to both dramatic arts and contemporary dance.

A Place for Creation and Performance

Le Quai was developed as a cultural space for creation, diffusion, training, and awareness, through a partnership between the city of Angers and the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Initiated in 2002, the project reached a key stage with the laying of the first stone in 2004. It was built at a cost of 35 million euros and later delivered, before the opening festivities began on an unspecified date.

The building was conceived as an exchange space open to dance, theater, music, opera, world music, circus, street arts, and plastic arts. It is also described as a space for creation, shows, and meetings for all publics, bringing together live, plastic, digital, scenic, lyric, circus, theater, dance, and music forms. Le Quai became a national level artistic and cultural hub and hosts the Centre Dramatique National d'Angers (CDN) and the Centre national de danse contemporaine (Cndc).

Its programming includes the CDN, which focuses on theater, music, circus, and young public, under the direction of Marcial Di Fonzo Bo, and the Centre national de danse contemporaine, which focuses on dance and is directed by Noe Soulier. During the 2013/2014 season, Le Quai recorded an 88 percent occupancy rate, with 58 percent of that occupancy generated by the EPCC. The Ministry of Culture also launched the regional operation La Belle saison from Le Quai.

Architecture and Interior Layout

Le Quai was designed by the agency Architecture-studio following high environmental quality standards. It is located on the right bank of the Maine River, opposite the Chateau d'Angers. The building includes a terrace and a panoramic restaurant named La Reserve.

Administration and Governance

Le Quai was administered as an etablissement public de cooperation culturelle (EPCC), created in 2005 by the city of Angers and the State. Its statutes were made official by a prefectoral decree. The board of directors is organized into three colleges. The first college includes eight administrators, with six from Angers and two representatives of the State. The second college has two qualified personalities designated by Angers and the State. The third college includes one representative of the personnel.

Administration and Institutional Structure

Le Quai functioned as an administration that housed three structures between 2007 and 2014. In 2013, it had an operating budget of unspecified amount, with 95% of its funding provided by Angers. The administration employed a team of sixty people. Its leadership changed over time: it succeeded a resigned predecessor on an unspecified date, and Federic Belier-Garcia was appointed director of the administration on an unspecified date. Marcial Di Fonzo Bo later occupied the position of director starting from an unspecified date.

Several separate artistic responsibilities were distributed within the institution. Christian Mousseau-Fernandez directed Theatre Le Quai from 2009 and in 2014. Robert Swinston directed the CNDC within the administration in 2014, while Federic Belier-Garcia directed the NTA within the same year. Thomas Jolly took the direction of the Quai on an unspecified date and later left the position on another unspecified date.

In 2014, the SARL NTA merged with the EPCC Le Quai. The CNDC, however, remained independent and retained its association status separate from the administration. Le Quai currently houses the Centre Dramatique National d'Angers (EPCC) and the CNDC association.

Institutional and Cultural Partners

In 2014, Le Quai's partenariats brought together a wide range of institutional, media, cultural, and corporate partners. Among its institutional partners were the city of Angers, the general council of Maine-et-Loire, the regional council of Pays de la Loire, the Ministry of Culture, and the European Directorate General for Education and Culture. Other partners included the regional conservatory of Angers, the Grand Theatre d'Angers, and the museums of the city of Angers. The partnership network also extended to events such as Accroche-Coeurs and Festival Premiers Plans, reflecting Le Quai's links with the cultural life of Angers and the surrounding region.