Paris (AFP)
Live entertainment, private and public, will receive aid of 432 million euros, announced Thursday evening the Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot after a meeting between Jean Castex, herself and the representatives of this sector "devastated" by the health context.
This amount is part of the envelope of two billion euros for the entire cultural sector announced by the Prime Minister on Wednesday.
During the meeting on Thursday held rue de Valois, the Prime Minister "announced 432 million euros in the recovery plan, plus 100 million for compensation for operating losses. An unprecedented effort that I will lead to save a sector devastated, ”Ms Bachelot tweeted.
The unions represented had previously mentioned the figure of 420 million to AFP.
"This is 200 million for public performing arts, divided between major operators such as the Paris Opera, the Comédie-Française and regional organizations, and 220 million for the private theater", detailed at the AFP Nicolas Dubourg, president of Syndeac (National Union of artistic and cultural companies).
In addition to the 432 million, Jean Castex announced the creation of "a new compensation mechanism to encourage the resumption of activity by operators of concert halls". "A provision of 100 million euros will ensure its financing from September," he said.
The representatives of the sector welcomed the sums allocated, even if they are still worried about the maintenance of a reduced tonnage in the red zone, as in Ile-de-France.
"We welcome the strong speech (of Castex) towards the sector," said Dubourg.
"But there was a great insistence on our part on the question of the gauge ... We are in favor of the generalization of the wearing of masks, but by adding the limited gauge, it makes the exercise impossible", he said. -he says. "Say at the same time + Come back to the theater but the gauge is limited to 50% +, it still sends a signal that it is still dangerous".
Aurélie Hannedouche, of the Syndicate of current music, welcomed the granting of "sums for music", but regrets that there is "no perspective given for standing shows".
"We are rather satisfied", commented for his part Olivier Darbois, at the head of Prodiss, the National Union of musical and variety shows, which recalls that the turnover fell by 84%, or 2.3 billion euros of losses in 2020 in the private performing arts.
However, he is worried about the uncertainties that persist.
"A show, a tour, constitute a complex production which requires anticipation, investments, risk-taking and a consequent logistics, with weeks and months of work before the diffusion in front of an audience", he recalled.
© 2020 AFP