Roussillon is a place of memory. It is where Samuel Beckett took refuge as a resistance fighter to flee the German police during the Occupation, after the Gestapo found out about his adhesion to the French-English network Gloria. He lived with the Bonnelly Family from 1942 to 1945 and worked in their property as a farm hand. In 1997 in Roussillon, with the help of some local great admirers of Beckett and of personalities from the literary and theatrical world, Henri Marcou created the Association “La Maison Samuel Beckett” in order to protect his house and to pay tribute to the famous Irish writer who adopted the French language to write his greatest works. From 2001 to 2015, cultural events, readings, conferences, shows… celebrated the Nobel Prize for Literature under the Direction of the new President of the Association, Henri Vart, its founder having become the Mayor of Roussillon. But in 2016, the Festival proceeded differently, in the memory of Henri Vart who had died in February the same year.
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The Festival has reborn with renewed vigor under the artistic direction of Jacques Frantz and Stéphane Valensi, both passionate about Beckett : three days of cultural events in honor of the Nobel Prize for Literature, not only with representations of Beckett plays, but also with contemporary creations every year. Our association has grieved for the unexpected loss of Jacques Frantz on March 17th 2021. Stéphane Valensi has since remained the only artistic director of the festival. We hope that this coming 21st edition wil have the same great success as the previous ones.
The Festival takes place outdoors, in a grandiose setting, at Okhra-écomusée de l’ocre (ex the Conservatoire des ocres of Roussillon),. It is supported by the département du Vaucluse, by the Mairie of Roussillon, by Saint-Gobain research Provence, by 4icom, by AMOPA Vaucluse, by AMOPA Paris 14ème, and by AMOPA Irlande (the partners).