OWNERSHIP OF MALÉRARGUES, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
The SCI Fondation Malérargues is a property-management company set up when the Roy Hart Theatre moved to Malérargues in 1974. It is the legal owner of the buildings and land that make up the estate. Shares in the company were allocated to individual members of the Roy Hart Theatre in recognition of their commitment both to their collective work and to the place. This gave them a voice in important management decisions as well as shared responsibility for the property, which they demonstrated by working collectively on its physical upkeep as well as on the artistic and educational work taking place there.
Inevitably, over time, many of the original shareholders have died or moved on, with their shares passing to heirs and others who, understandably, do not all share a direct connection to the place or to the work on the voice. Malérargues has, in a sense, outlived the arrangement that created it. The close bond between the work on the human voice, the people committed to pursuing that work, and ownership of the property, has weakened as the years have passed.
Fortunately, a resolution to this issue is available to us. Since 2008 it has been possible under French law to create a fonds de dotation (endowment fund). This is a charitable structure dedicated by its statutes to a specific cultural, social or other objective of general public interest. The Malérargues Endowment Fund (Fonds de dotation Malérargues) was established in 2021 by eleven members of the Malérargues community, with the aim of assuming ownership of the estate, and the statutory objective of preserving and developing it and supporting the work on the human voice in the Alfred Wolfsohn, Roy Hart, and Roy Hart Theatre tradition.
Several of the founding shareholders have already given their personal shares in the SCI to the Malérargues Endowment Fund, which now holds 9.5% of the total number of shares. However, holding shares does not allow the Fund to spend money on the estate. Only full ownership enables that. The transfer completes what the founders began.
In consultation with professional legal advisers, the Endowment Fund has carried out an in-depth study which confirms the possibility of a transfer of ownership from the SCI, and at their annual general meeting of 22 July 2026, the active shareholders of the SCI unanimously approved the preparation of a plan to achieve this. The transfer itself will require a further vote by the SCI shareholders and the signing of a notarial deed (acte notarié).
The transfer will cover the Malérargues estate owned by the SCI Fondation Malérargues. It can go ahead once the Endowment Fund has raised the money to cover the legal and administrative costs and the SCI shareholders have given their final approval. The transfer will take place in two stages: most of the estate, including the château, Magnanerie theatre, studios, and gîtes, in 2027, and one remaining building in 2032, when an existing legal commitment on that building comes to an end.
The transfer of ownership will be an act of patronage (mécénat) by the SCI in favour of the Malérargues Endowment Fund. It is a donation, not a sale, so there will be no purchase price to pay. Nor will any property-transfer tax (droits de mutation) be due, because the Malérargues Endowment Fund, as a registered fonds de dotation, is exempt from this tax on donations received.
Once the first stage is complete in 2027, the Malérargues Endowment Fund will own the main estate and take over responsibility for its management. The leases to the Roy Hart Voice Centre and to long-term residents will remain in place, with the Malérargues Endowment Fund replacing the SCI in the role of landlord.
Rental income from these leases will continue to cover the estate's routine running costs, as it does today. It cannot, however, pay for major repair work such as the roof. Charitable donations can be used for building maintenance and repairs, including the roof of the château, only once the Fund is the legal owner.
WHAT THIS APPEAL COVERS
Although there is no purchase price attached to the property transfer, there are significant expenses, including land-registry charges and notary’s, lawyer’s and surveyor’s fees, all of which fall to the Endowment Fund, as recipient of the gift. Based on our advisers' estimates, these will come to around €45,000. This covers both stages of the transfer.
The SCI's contribution is the estate itself. Its income only just covers the running costs, which is why we are asking the wider Malérargues community to help with this final step.
IF THE TRANSFER IS DELAYED,
OR IF WE RAISE MORE THAN THE TARGET…
If the transfer should be delayed, the funds will remain reserved for it. If the appeal raises more than is needed, the surplus will be allocated to urgent repairs to the estate, beginning with the roof of the château, once the first stage of the transfer is complete. If the transfer cannot proceed, the funds will be used for the Malérargues Endowment Fund's other statutory purposes, such as supporting the voice work and the Roy Hart Voice Centre, in line with our Donation Terms.
Above all, once the transfer is complete, Malérargues will belong to a single independent body, run for no one's private benefit, whose statutes include a commitment to the pursuit of the artistic and cultural work on the voice, in keeping with the original intent of those who acquired Malérargues half a century ago.