Inflation, subsidies at half mast, rising charges… My opera is going to crack

Reserved for subscribers

LETTER FROM THE CLASSIC. In budgetary difficulty, several opera houses have announced cancellations of shows and a temporary closure.

Par Anne-Laure Poisson

The next seasons will be affected by budgetary restrictions. (Illustrative photo)
© LOIC VENANCE / AFP

Published on 02/12/2023 at 11:00 a.m.

Subscriber-only audio playback

I subscribe to 1€ the 1st month

« Mdams the Minister of Culture, the closure of our establishments is no longer a chimera! “Warned in a tribune at the Monde, last December, a group of cultural professionals and elected officials. “In concrete terms, 89% of our houses are preparing to suspend their activity, to cut part of their programming from 2023. Some for a few days, others for several weeks, the most affected for months”, worried then the petitioners.

A few weeks later, here we are. Several operas have notified adjustments in the programming of their 2022-2023 season in recent weeks. Thursday, February 2, the Rouen Opera announced its closure for a period of six weeks, causing the cancellation of five shows between the 1^is April and…