A seat in the stalls

DIEPPE, a town of 35,000 inhabitants, can boast a cultural centre that would be the pride of many larger towns in Britain. DSN (Dieppe Scène Nationale) at the Centre Jean Renoir offers both live performances and cinema in its 700-seat theatre opposite the railway station. It has developed an impressive reputation in contemporary dance.

The DSN programmes contemporary and archive films, including many that would not get a showing on commercial screens. All foreign (ie non-French) productions are sub-titled in French and never dubbed.

Upstairs at the Centre Jean Renoir is the town’s main public library, with rooms for reading and listening to CDs. The bar / restaurant downstairs has a checkered history: it’s not always functioning.