The Foix Terre d’Histoire association has drawn up an initial assessment of its shows, which bear the same name. If the feedback from the spectators is good, a drop in attendance at the sessions has been observed. Reflections will be carried out during the next board meeting.
Pascale Ribeiro, one of the co-presidents of the association Foix terre d’histoire, gives an initial assessment of the shows, which take place in July and August, at the Théâtre de Verdure in L’Espinet.
The show is held outdoors. Have you been disturbed by the weather?
No, it was, apart from the general rehearsal which was held in the rain. It was just a little chilly at the start of the performances, but we weren’t bothered by the weather.
What was the attendance for the show?
On the biggest night, we had 650 entries. The stands were sparse as we had fewer entries than last year. We had made 7,000 tickets in 2022, this year, we total 6,000 entries. It’s disappointing, we always expect better. But in Foix, it seems general, we had bad feedback from restaurateurs.
Is there a concern about the notoriety of the show?
I don’t know. We go as close as possible to the public, we show ourselves in events, we distribute flyers, we mobilize local people and tourists alike. We communicate well. Despite this drop, we had very good feedback, people are happy overall.
Will this cause cash flow problems?
We haven’t finished the balance sheet yet. It is necessary to pay the expenses of the employees and the whole team of technicians, that is to say the manager and three technicians. I don’t think we will be in deficit, we will be in balance. The problem is that we will leave next year without a cash advance.
Are there any new features already planned?
We are going to discuss this at our board of directors meeting on September 8th. First we will put everything in order. The story of the show remains the same for three years, I don’t think we will change for next year, but we always make some changes.
Above all, I believe that we will diversify, organize more different events. We had participated in the carnival of Foix in 2022. It is important to make ourselves known, but volunteers remain rare. We offer the show on 14 dates, there may be too many. But we have the technicians until August 23, so we always wanted to fill over time. And at the end of August, we have local people attending the sessions, so it’s important to make the last dates.
Are you asked for the presence of machines or animals in the staging?
Machines no, on the other hand, animals yes. But it is difficult to manage them. You have to feed them, have a trained herd.
Did the catering area work?
It worked well, people liked our formulas. But the refreshment bar and the catering are not what make the association live.
Maintenance level, where are you?
The costumes have been washed, many are drying in our premises or at the volunteers’. This represents a great mass of clothes because each volunteer wears ten to twelve costumes. And each costume is made up of several pieces. They are also repaired if necessary. Moreover, the sewing commission takes care of the repairs in the winter.
From the end of the last session, everything was dismantled. The green theater is a municipal space. The town hall helps us, it has invested a lot, being very accommodating and available. At 4 a.m., I finished removing all the advertising in the cities. At 5 a.m., the technicians dismantled their equipment.
How did the three-headed co-presidency go?
We shared the tasks very well, especially since there was a lot of work. Each had its particularity, it went well.
You called for volunteers. It is still relevant ?
We look for them all year round. For 2023, we had as many as last year but it is never enough. You have to be present at rehearsals every night, knowing that if you do extras, you can only come the last week.
2023-08-28 18:52:36
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