Centre Culturel Jacques Franck

The Centre Culturel Jacques Franck (commonly called Le Jacques Franck) is the cultural centre of the municipality of Saint-Gilles in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It is one of the cultural centres recognised by the French Community of Belgium and operates from premises in Saint-Gilles that were formerly a neighbourhood cinema. The centre takes its name from the mayor of Saint-Gilles at the time of its conception, and it was created in 1973, succeeding the Théâtre du Parvis, which had been founded three years earlier under the co-direction of Marc Liebens, Jean Lefébure and Janine Patrick. As a multidisciplinary house, the Jacques Franck supports, co-produces and programmes theatre and contemporary dance by young companies. Its stage programme is complemented by a regular cinema offering: a Sunday 8 p.m. film club and a Sunday 3 p.m. slot aimed at young audiences. It also hosts collective and solo exhibitions by contemporary artists, and organises the biennial "Parcours d'artistes" across the whole municipality. Youth theatre for schools and local associations is a further strand of its work. Beyond performance and exhibition, the centre runs participatory and community projects. These include Murmuziek, sound-creation workshops in a prison setting; Quel Cirque, an introduction to circus practices; and Intersongs, involving choirs and singing. Its public-facing identity is strongly oriented towards accessibility and inclusion, with free outdoor events, relaxed performances and programming connected to mental disability, as reflected in its "création et handicap mental" and "champ | hors-champ" strands. The venue has two halls: one with 300 seats, equipped for lighting, sound and cinema, and a multipurpose 100-seat space. It also has a foyer-bar and an exhibition space in the entrance hall. In April 2023 the Jardin Hélène De Rudder, adjoining the Jacques Franck bar, was inaugurated. The centre publishes a seasonal programme and a newsletter, and its website carries an agenda of performances, film screenings, festivals and workshops. Because it is a municipal and community-recognised institution rather than a commercial company, the Jacques Franck occupies a public-service position in the Brussels cultural landscape. Its programming combines professional artistic creation with amateur and educational participation, and it works with partners such as Média Animation asbl on the Festival À Films Ouverts short-film competition. It remains active, with a programme covering seasons such as September to November and events including the Ballroom Weekender presented by Queer Auncles.

The Centre Culturel Jacques Franck is the cultural centre of the municipality of Saint-Gilles in the Brussels-Capital Region and is among the cultural centres recognised by the French Community of Belgium. Its creation dates to 1973, when it took over from the Théâtre du Parvis, which had been founded three years earlier. The Théâtre du Parvis operated under the co-direction of Marc Liebens, Jean Lefébure and Janine Patrick in the premises of a former neighbourhood cinema. The new centre was named after the mayor of Saint-Gilles at the time, who had initiated its conception. From its base in those former cinema premises, the Jacques Franck developed a multidisciplinary programme. It supports, co-produces and programmes theatre and contemporary dance by young companies, and it maintains a regular cinema presence through a Sunday 8 p.m. film club and a Sunday 3 p.m. programme for young audiences. It also presents collective and individual exhibitions by contemporary artists and organises the biennial "Parcours d'artistes" across the entire municipality. Youth theatre aimed at schools and local associations forms another long-standing strand. Over the years the centre has added participatory and socially oriented projects to its artistic programme. Murmuziek runs sound-creation workshops in a prison environment; Quel Cirque offers an introduction to circus practices; and Intersongs involves choirs and singing. These sit alongside a broader emphasis on accessibility and inclusion, including free outdoor events, relaxed performances and programming connected to mental disability. The centre has also partnered with Média Animation asbl on the Festival À Films Ouverts, a short-film competition for engaged films. Its infrastructure comprises two halls — one of 300 seats equipped for lighting, sound and cinema, and a multipurpose hall of 100 seats — together with a foyer-bar and an exhibition space in the entrance hall. In April 2023 the Jardin Hélène De Rudder, adjoining the Jacques Franck bar, was inaugurated, adding an outdoor dimension to the venue. The centre continues to publish seasonal programmes and a newsletter, and its agenda spans theatre, dance, cinema, festivals, exhibitions and workshops, including events such as the Ballroom Weekender presented by Queer Auncles.

• 2023

  Jardin Hélène De Rudder, adjoining the Jacques Franck bar, inaugurated in April.

• 1973

  Centre Culturel Jacques Franck created, taking over from the Théâtre du Parvis and named after the mayor of Saint-Gilles.

• 1970

  Théâtre du Parvis founded, the predecessor of the centre, under co-direction of Marc Liebens, Jean Lefébure and Janine Patrick.

A municipality-run, French Community-recognised cultural centre in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, combining professional theatre, dance, cinema and exhibitions with inclusive, participatory and youth-focused community projects.

• Theatre and contemporary dance programming

  Support, co-production and programming of theatre and contemporary dance by young companies.

• Cinema and film club

  Sunday 8 p.m. film club and Sunday 3 p.m. youth programming.

• Exhibitions

  Collective or individual exhibitions of contemporary artists.

• Parcours d'artistes

  Biennial artist trail across the whole municipality.

• Murmuziek

  Sound-creation workshops in a prison setting.

• Quel Cirque

  Introduction to circus practices, including a mobile flying trapeze.

• Intersongs

  Choirs and singing project.

1. 1Le Jacques Franck — official websitelejacquesfranck.be
2. 2Centre Culturel Jacques Franck — Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Centre culturel Jacques Franck — Wikipédia (fr)fr.wikipedia.org