The Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot received Wednesday morning the three main unions of the performing arts. She decided to defend their request to return to a 100% gauge without social distancing before the next Defense Council. "The Minister is listening", rejoiced on Europe 1 Wednesday Olivier Darbois, producer of shows and president of Prodiss (Producers, broadcasters, musical and Variety theaters), the first show union. But "the total deconfinement and the total resumption of activity are not for November 1," he warned.
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"It takes more than three-quarters of the gauge to start making money"
On August 11, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the extension, until October 30, of the ban on events of more than 5,000 people. Bad news for the industry. “As a general rule, you need more than three quarters of the gauge to start making money,” explains Olivier Darbois. Reason for which the unions demanded Wednesday morning a return to a gauge of 100%. To compensate for the lack of social distancing, professionals in the sector have worked on a health protocol.
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The support of the Minister of Culture is a first step but in the end, the decision will not be the responsibility of Roselyne Bachelot but of the Elysée. This should be decided at the next High Council of Public Health.
One in two companies could file for bankruptcy
Currently, for current music, for example, concerts in smaller venues are still made impossible by the ban on pits, and therefore on standing audiences. Most speakers are not economically viable with seated spectators and reduced gauges. Olivier Darbois assures us that there will be a deconfinement "by stages" because the "typology of the performing arts" being "very varied" between the closed rooms, the open air shows, those standing, those seated, and foreign shows, " the issues are numerous ".
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But if the situation does not return to normal quickly, "one in two companies" will be "in bankruptcy", asserts Olivier Darbois. "We did an audit, it's very clear," he says. “Beyond this economic breakdown, it is social class. We are on 135,000-150,000 direct jobs,” recalls the producer.