At the Avignon Festival, several performing arts figures issued a solemn appeal to Emmanuel Macron to request the abandonment of budget cuts affecting the cultural sector. Read Sunday evening in the Cour d’honneur of the Palais des Papes, their statement warns of the consequences of these decisions for companies, venues, and performing arts professionals.
An appeal in the face of a cultural “emergency”
Signed notably by directors Julien Gosselin, Rébecca Chaillon, Baptiste Amann, as well as choreographers Bouba Landrille Tchouda and Madeleine Fournier, the text describes a situation that has become, according to its authors, untenable. “The repeated budget cuts and those announced to us force us to shout, such is the urgency,” they state, before directly addressing the head of state: “Do not be the one who will have destroyed everything.”
The signatories believe these financial restrictions weaken a cultural model built over several decades. They also recall that the culture budget represents, according to them, only 0.7% of the state budget, while emphasizing that the public cultural service constitutes “a common good” on the same level as schools or hospitals.
Consequences already visible on the ground
Professionals denounce concrete effects already noticeable: canceled shows, shortened seasons, weakened artistic and technical teams, and establishments forced to give up some of their missions. “Is this the landscape of ruin you want to leave behind?” they ask in their statement.
This statement follows another letter addressed to the president by 28 performing arts organizations, including several operas and orchestras. They protested against the removal of allocations planned for the second half of 2026. The Ministry of Culture indicated that part of the funds would ultimately be disbursed, while the remaining 10% are still under discussion with Bercy.
