The violent heat waves affecting France this summer are no exception and could even become the rule.
In several regions of the world, the summer of 2022 is breaking all records and the world of culture is directly impacted.
In the United States, outdoor festivals have been hit hard by the consequences of climate change for several years.
From Oregon to Massachusetts via Ohio, the
New York Times
has drawn up an alarming inventory for the performing arts, which has had to cancel or postpone certain performances in recent days.
In Ashland, Oregon, a performance of
Tempets
at the Shakespeare Festival was canceled due to smoke from a wildfire near the outdoor theater.
Further east, flooding prevented an outdoor performance of
Legally Blonde
at Forest Park in Saint Louis, Missouri.
“In southern Ohio, a growing number of performances of a play called
Tecumseh!
were canceled due to heavy rain.
In northwest Arkansas, rising heat is affecting
The Great Passion Play
, an annual reenactment of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.
In Texas, record heat forced the Austin Symphony Orchestra to cancel several outdoor concerts,
reports the New York Times.
In some places, theater officials are already envisioning a future where performances will all take place indoors.
»
For example, the Rocky Mountain theater festival dubbed Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is sometimes forced to work indoors, with fires occurring earlier and earlier in the year and "out of control"
hailstorms
.
Some of these establishments also try to limit their impact on the environment.
The Opera House in Santa Fe, New Mexico has invested in air quality sensors to assess whether it is safe to perform.
It is also equipped to produce solar energy.
“The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival plants native grasslands and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival uses electric vehicles,”
adds the New York daily.
In France too, festivals face sometimes extreme conditions.
In June, We Love Green and the Eurockéennes de Belfort were forced to cancel some of their concerts due to violent storms.
The heat wave hit the Hellfest hard and, more recently, the Interceltic festival of Lorient had to cancel two parades planned in the streets of the Morbihan city on Thursday August 11, due to the 35 degrees displayed on the thermometer.
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