54% fewer performances for the 2024-2025 season, predicts an association of professionals in the sector

The live entertainment sector has been hit hard by budget cuts. France Inter consulted the latest survey from the Association of Entertainment Administration Professionals.

While several emblematic cultural establishments are affected by budget cuts, the Association of Entertainment Administration Professionals (LAPAS) reveals in a survey published last Tuesday that a 54% reduction in the number of performances is expected for the season 2024-2025, compared to last year, reported Monday April 8, France Inter.

The budget of the Ministry of Culture is cut by more than 200 million euros, including 96 for creation. Large institutions like the Paris Opera, the Comédie-Française and the Louvre have seen their budgets cut by several million euros. The entire performing arts sector is being hit hard by these budget cuts. Professionals fear a large-scale social plan in all artistic fields: theater, dance, circus, street arts in particular.

But this crisis “was already there” in 2023, explains Marion Gauvent, co-president of LAPAS, guest of franceinfo on Tuesday. “Almost a year ago, to the day, we published an open letter which already warned of the budgetary crisis which was significantly affecting the theater and, in turn, the companies with fewer announced shows and co-production budgets which were already reduced”, she clarified. According to her, the budget cuts announced by the government will make theaters even more reluctant to commit to new productions in 2025. All theaters, festivals and companies subsidized by the public authorities will be “impacted”.

Workforce reductions

The decrease of more than half of the performances is very worrying, especially since only 58% of the performances that were planned for the 2024-2025 season have been confirmed to date, specifies LAPAS. Moreover, “22% of supported artists are considering ending their career or dissolving their company”. The evil seems deep: “It’s very new to have artists around us who say ‘I’ll try one last creation and then, if it doesn’t work, I’ll stop'”, underlines Marion Gauvent.

It’s good “a whole ecosystem” which becomes impacted. We must expect reductions in staff numbers in the coming months: “27% of production offices and 40% of companies do not think they can maintain administrative staff jobs as they are today,” specifies the LAPAS survey. With more than 50% less spectacle, “it’s a drastic drop in activity, therefore artists who will tour less, and obviously, technicians who will tour less”, assures Marion Gauvent. As a result, some intermittent entertainment workers will not be able to work their minimum hours to maintain their status. Professionals denounce a social breakdown.

The most affected by this crisis are likely to be emerging artists, but also the largest distribution groups to whom we will prefer “alone on stage” much less expensive. In a context of budget cuts, performance halls are also taking less risk in their programming. Some communities can do “pressure” so that they are planned “more general public programs”, according to her. “We are going to look for shows that can fill theaters at all costs and as a result, it is obviously to the detriment of artistic research”she explained.