They are calling on the State to help.
Three performing arts unions alerted President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday to find “solutions” to the situation facing the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe theater in Paris.
The theater was in deficit of 1.5 million euros in 2023, a deficit “linked to generalized inflation, the increase in costs linked to electricity, security, among others”, indicated the establishment.
On December 8, Stéphane Braunschweig, the head of this institution, announced that he was not a candidate for a third term, given the lack of “artistic margin to pursue his project”.
Stéphane Braunschweig's mandate ended on January 15 but, at the request of the Ministry of Culture, he will act as interim until the end of July.
Also read: Theater stories: “The Odeon” at the heart of the struggles
In a joint press release, the Synptac-CGT, the SN2A-FO and the SNAPAC-CFDT “call (…) on the President of the Republic, so that he takes stock of the situation, and finds, alongside the Ministry of Culture, the solutions which allow this institution to reconnect with a peaceful future, in the service of artistic creation”.
They also recall that theater employees “are plunged into the greatest uncertainty: who will succeed Stéphane Braunschweig (…)?
Who will manage an establishment whose future ex-director has announced that he will not have the necessary resources to finance creations, the reason for this place, during the 2024-2025 season?
Who would agree to commit to a place that is facing a major economic crisis?
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Review the allocation “upwards”
According to the unions, a letter dated January 8 from the general director of artistic creation at the Ministry of Culture “explains that all options must be put on the table, options which do not involve the revaluation of the subsidy for public service charges a priority ".
More generally, they affirm, "if the Ministry of Culture does not increase the allocation of the Odéon national theater, of which it assumes direct supervision, what will happen to the other structures dedicated to artistic creation and dissemination in France?
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The establishment, one of the six national theaters, is subsidized by the State to the tune of approximately 70%, and is financed to the tune of 30% (ticket sales, sponsorship, tours).
Its mission is notably to promote and promote European dramatic creation.
Some 150,000 spectators attended it last year.