By Adele Leberre
Published on 25 Dec 20 at 7:14
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On the facade of Cornouaille theater, a banner was put up. It says “essential”. The national stage of Quimper (Finistère) intends to protest against the decision to keep theaters, cinemas and other cultural venues closed until January 7.
Anger
Since this announcement, the days have passed. But the anger of Vincent Léandri remains intact.
It’s incredible. We are being asked to be ready to reopen on December 15th. And a few days before, we are told to stay closed! But it is completely ignoring our profession! There is a deep crisis between the cultural world and the ministry. We receive contradictory injunctions.
–Unequal treatment
The director of the national scene of Quimper denounces equal treatment. “There is no more risk of going to the theater than to the supermarket! Why could we watch a concert streamed and not in a theater? There is a manifest inequality of treatment, ”summarizes Vincent Léandri.
Several dozen artists, theaters and representatives of the entertainment and cinema sectors have appealed to the judge for the freedom of the Council of State to suspend the closure of cinemas, theaters and performance halls ordered by the Government since October 29. This request was rejected:
The closure of these cultural places is justified only by the recent deterioration of the health context and the uncertainties that weigh on its short-term development. In a more favorable context, their closure could not be maintained on the sole ground that there is a risk of transmission of the virus to spectators.
The last few months have led the director to question the very place of culture, the interest that the French have in it.
Why don’t we close all the supermarkets from January 8 to 12 to open theaters, cinemas, museums? It’s our turn! What place do we give to culture?
Circonova maintained?
Nothing guarantees that cultural establishments will be able to reopen their doors on January 7, 2021. However, in Quimper, the month of January is that of Circonova, the circus festival run by the Cornouaille Theater.
“I’ll wait until the last minute to cancel the shows. It’s unthinkable to work in such conditions, ”says Vincent Léandri, who also points to the injuries suffered by circus artists. In the absence of correct representations and training conditions, they injure themselves.
The 2020 season therefore ends with:
- 22 shows canceled in spring,
- 15 shows canceled in November and December (148 artists).
Duty of exemplarity
During this period, the Cornouaille theater nevertheless hosted several companies in residence: the bagad kemper and Arthur Lavandier, Chloe moglia, Bajour collective… The Theater has obtained grants for these residencies.
As a national scene, we must be exemplary. We have set ourselves a rule: compensate the artistic teams. Cancellations are not their responsibility. At the moment, we have no financial problems. The ministry follows. And we have benefited from partial unemployment.
He can also count on the support of the spectators. Only a third requested reimbursement of the tickets.
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