The call for applications for the 2025/2026 residencies is open!
Applications are open from 14 April to 25 May 2025
The Pôle offers four residency programmes: Creation residencies, Graduate residencies, residencies in Nurseries, Research residencies.
As a major centre for puppetry arts, the Pôle International de la Marionnette – Jacques Félix supports artistic creation and research at both national and international levels.
Through its residency programmes, the Pôle aims to:
– Support puppeteers in the creation and production of new works;
– Assist recent graduates of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette – Margareta Nicuelscu (ESNAM) in launching their professional careers;
– Provide artists with opportunities to explore and experiment through a research-creation approach, particularly via the unique “artistic cot” concept;
– Encourage fundamental research;
– Support educators seeking to enhance the theoretical and scientific foundations of their teaching;
– Strengthen links between the creative and research communities.
In doing so, the Pôle ensures a strong and visible presence for puppeteers and researchers, embedding puppetry as a living, evolving practice within the city and region.
At its core, ESNAM fosters research, experimentation, and professional training. The puppeteer-actor curriculum benefits from ongoing critical reflection and interdisciplinary exchanges surrounding puppetry arts.
Creation residency
The Creation residencies support the development and production of artistic works by professional puppeteers with diverse aesthetics and artistic languages. These residencies are intended for professional puppetry artists.
Graduate residency
The Graduate residencies aim to support the professional integration of recent graduates from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette – Margareta Niculescu (ESNAM), by helping them develop their first artistic projects. These residencies are open to ESNAM graduates within three years of receiving their diploma, working in the field of puppetry.
Residency in Nursery
This unique residency format — one of a kind in France — is the result of a partnership between the Pôle, the CAF des Ardennes, and several local nurseries. It offers artists the chance to explore creation and experimentation with very young children (ages 0–3) in a research-creation context.
Research residency
The Pôle offers a programme dedicated to research in the puppetry arts, developed in close collaboration with national and international academic institutions. This initiative is based on the principles of hospitality and support, encouraging researchers, teacher-researchers, and artist-researchers to develop and share new knowledge within the field.
Selection timetable and procedures
- Applications are open from 14 April to 25 May 2025.
- Projects will be selected by a committee composed of the Pôle’s permanent team.
- Selected projects will be announced at the end of June.
A formal agreement will specify the residency’s conditions and the commitments of the selected team or researcher and the Pôle. Applicants may submit proposals to multiple residency types but may only be awarded one residency.