Not a “dispensary”, La Criée theater will not resume until after summer

• This summer, the theater of La Criée, in Marseille, will welcome children and associations.
• Its director, Macha Makeïeff, judges that health standards "distort" artistic activity.

"And why not put a hygiaphone between the public and the actors? The director of the National Theater of Marseille Macha Makeïeff considers excessive the sanitary conditions imposed on performance halls. She explains why La Criée will not open this summer.

Are you relieved by the end of confinement?

I am so happy to resume creation! The impediment, during confinement, generated frustration. It was a painful situation. It is not the other that hurts you. It is not a war where the other is hidden behind the door and where he seeks to kill us. It is a reflection on his own fragility and that of those we love. We say that the other is precious because he is in the same fragility as me.

What did you think of the anonymous letters sent to the caregivers?

The worst is seen in all crises. It is a mixture of fear and stupidity, because no one is willfully bad. There are vichysts who want to harm, who want to separate: that one is good, that one not. We must beware of populism which is a sort of humanity. The scourge, we did not know too much. Hyperactivity, hostility, rivalry, we knew. It is interesting to see how we all react.

How do you react ?

Since I have been leading La Criée, I have always been in Paris for a while. It made me think about this headlong rush, even in our professions. Creation for creation. We must always welcome the creation of the youngest, but perhaps calm down for a more sustainable economy.

#And after ? “You have to play a lot (…). A creation represents a human, artistic and financial investment. That a show is two years old shouldn't be a problem ”Macha Makeïeff, @theatrelacrieehttps: //t.co/1Cl8EXXwPh pic.twitter.com/USBaWEHl1W

Is the sector in danger?

There will probably be a weakening for companies, but we will do everything to help them. The contracts of the companies whose shows have been canceled have been honored - it's weird to say that. We will try to postpone the maximum for the 2021-22 season, but what will be our means?

Why did you refuse to resume performances?

A spectator every four square meters is horribly aesthetically pleasing, it distorts the theater. We are not a dispensary! The theater means sitting next to an anonymous person to attend a show that will overwhelm you. I prefer to tie my two hands than to take the temperature of the spectators at the entrance. In addition, it would be a financial disaster: to play in front of 150 spectators in the large hall which has almost 800 seats ... I was told La Criée, I don't want to sink it. An art business is fragile: I don't want to break the boat because there is a grain.

[DISCOVERY] As of June 8, Rêvons au Théâtre! 🎭✨ La Criée, in association with Associations and @ education_gouv, will welcome this summer small groups of #children and #adolescents for #free artistic workshops in compliance with health standards https://t.co/I1BOZD9H8e pic.twitter.com/nskAT6sRgI

La Criée will welcome associations, schoolchildren and schoolchildren from June 8. Do you want to create vocations?

We are going to show them the magic of the set: the decorations that descend from the hangers, the poles that rise, the silk that flies away… It's a bit like the Wizard of Oz! These are great jobs that you can learn in the field, so it is important to create this bridge.

You will announce the new season on June 18. Do you think it will run normally?

I am optimistic: we will resume in September, even October. Every ten days, there is an easing of sanitary conditions. But I am very wary of people who have opened umbrellas and who do not know how to close them.

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• Deconfinement
• Confinement
• Theater
• Coronavirus
• Marseille
• Culture