The "IN"
The director of the Festival d'Avignon IN, Olivier Py, wanted to believe in it for a long time.
The day after Emmanuel Macron spoke, the decision was taken to cancel the Festival in 2020.
It was to be held between July 3 and 23.
On the Festival website, we can read:
"We have taken note of the declarations of the President of the Republic of April 13, 2020 and the conditions are no longer met today for the 74e edition to be held from July 3 to 23, 2020.
https://www.festival-avignon.com/fr/
The Festival d'Avignon management will submit a cancellation plan to the Board of Directors of the Festival d'Avignon Management Association for approval on Monday, April 20, 2020.
“We shared the hope for as long as it was possible, but the situation calls for a different scenario. Our duty now is to preserve and invent the future of the Festival d'Avignon ”.
Please note, this only concerns the Festival d'Avignon, commonly called the “IN”. The IN represents around 40 shows which are programmed by the director (here, Olivier Py) in 30 places. Shows are invited and paid for and only play a few times. They are often sold out thanks to their fame and the brevity of their passage.
The Festival is subsidized by the Ministry of Culture, the Local Authorities and the City of Avignon.
For the 74th edition, the programming included Freud, directed by Ivo Van Hove as well as a new creation by Dimitris Papaioannou. Or shows by Olivier Py as well as international creations. This is in addition to the conferences, discussions and workshops that take place each year.
It is with great regret
What about the OFF?
In a press release on April 16, the Avignon Festival & Compagnies Board of Directors announced:
"On April 13, 2020, the President of the Republic, in response to the unprecedented health crisis affecting our country, announced that" major festivals and events with a large audience cannot be held until at least mid-July " .
https://www.festivaloffavignon.com/espace-pro-ressources
This announcement and the situation of uncertainty as to the real end of this crisis, make it impossible to hold the Festival Off d'Avignon, whose dates decided by the General Assembly, are from July 3 to 26, 2020. "
The OFF Festival has set up a Legal Watch to help people affected by this cancellation.
For artists and technicians, we can get help on the number of hours to be declared with Pôle Emploi and the extension of the rights of intermittent workers.
All their advice and help are available at this link: https://www.festivaloffavignon.com/regards-sur-le-festival/actualites-veille-juridique-covid19/
The OFF Festival, created in response to the “IN” in 1966, brings together more than 1000 shows in 130 venues each year. There were 1480 shows in 2017 and 1592 in 2019. The difference with the IN is that here, companies pay and rent a slot in a theater. There are different types of contract between a company and a theater. For the OFF, companies invest a lot of money to play and hope to attract audiences and programmers. There are of course financial aid and support funds to which companies must apply.