The Maison Maria Casarès is situated at the heart of the Domaine de la Vergne, on the banks of the Charente. It is a place where theatre, heritage, landscape and education come together, and has been a heritage site for culture (CCR) since 2008.
THE HERITAGE SITE
La Vergne is a former agricultural estate, once fortified, consisting of four buildings on the banks of the Charente. The oldest parts, notably the isolated tower, date from the 15th century. Successive alterations in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries give the complex its present appearance. Maria Casarès, a Franco-Spanish actress, and her partner André Schlesser bought the Domaine de La Vergne in 1961. On her death in 1996, Maria Casarès bequeathed it to the municipality of Alloue as a thank you to ‘France for having been a land of asylum’ when she and her family fled Franco's dictatorship in 1936. In 2002, the house was added to the supplementary inventory of historic monuments. Work began in 2005 to create accommodation in the outbuildings and a performance hall in the former sheepfold.
Since 2011, La Maison Maria Casarès has also been a Maison des Illustres. A major phase of restoration and development took place between 2021 and 2025 on the outbuildings as well as on the main house at La Vergne.
THE CULTURAL PROJECT
A multi-cultural site open to the rhythm of the seasons, the La Maison Maria Casarès project is structured around four main pillars: theatrical, heritage/landscape, gastronomic and educational, promoting encounters between actors from these different cultural fields and, in particular, the integration of young theatre artists. In harmony with the cycles of nature, the activities of the Domaine de La Vergne follow the course of the seasons: springtime sees the arrival of the ‘Jeunes Pousses’ artists in residence, the Summer Festival and the Rencontres Jeunes Pousses showcase young talent and open to the public, established companies and authors are welcomed in the autumn and the site hibernates in winter while artistic events travel around the region. Open to all audiences, the Maison Maria Casarès is part of a reflection on the social, cultural, economic and ecological issues of tomorrow's world.
ACTIVITIES AND ACTIONS
Jeunes Pousses residencies
Each year, four young directors are selected by a committee of associated professionals according to their project following a call for applications. In the spring, each artistic team benefits from three weeks of rehearsal, during which they are fed and accommodated at the Domaine de La Vergne. They benefit from a co-production and personalised support (tutoring) according to the uniqueness of each person's approach. Trained at the EAC, the project leaders run workshops in schools. In September, the teams return to La Vergne for one or two weeks to rehearse and present a stage of their project to the public and then to professionals during a showcase day.
The Summer Festival
During the summer, the Estate is open to tourists and residents, offering a programme based around theatre, gastronomy and heritage. Three shows, one for young audiences and one for all audiences, are presented. They end with a convivial tasting session, encouraging interaction and meetings with the artists and also between spectators. The menus are created by a chef and showcase local products. Storytelling tours (audio tours or guided tours) highlight the city's heritage, as well as its matrimoine (cultural heritage), with the story of Maria Casarès. Every year, a young director from the Dispositif Jeunes Pousses is programmed at the Festival.