"A ticket at 10.70 euros could reach 95 to 117 euros": the cultural fabric of the Pays de la Loire shaken by the Region's budget cuts

We interviewed cultural sector stakeholders in this region of western France to assess the impact of the subsidy cuts.

Reading time: 9min

On December 19, 2024, Christelle Morançais (Horizons), president of the Pays de la Loire regional council, announced a drastic reduction of 100 million euros in the operating budget . Finally, a reduction of 82 million euros was voted in December, 70% of which affects the cultural sector.

The region is being hit hard by these cuts aimed at reducing public debt. This decision weakens an already weakened cultural sector. By targeting culture in particular, it plunges stakeholders into uncertainty, with serious repercussions for many regional cultural institutions . How is the regional council's decision being translated on the ground? What concrete consequences could it have on the local fabric?

"It's a total mess. The decisions were taken abruptly, without consultation with other public authorities. Neither we, nor the city of Le Mans, nor the departmental council were consulted," says Virginie Boccard, director of the Scène nationale du Mans, the Quinconces and the Espal. She denounces the president's "contempt" and highlights the lack of communication with public authorities. Because of this decision, projects have had to be cancelled without notice, causing anger and incomprehension.

François Gabory, president of the Chainon Network – an organization based in Laval, Mayenne, which promotes artistic recognition and cultural development – ​​assures that the lack of consultation is not a political issue. "With Bruno Retailleau, president of the regional council, there was a dialogue despite our disagreements. This is no longer the case today. The current majority acts without respect or exchanges."

Why such reductions? To justify them, the Region invokes the need for financial rigor due to the current economic context: "In a period of budgetary constraints such as we know, we can no longer meet what we did before. The choices we make today do not invalidate the relevance and historicity of the partnership we had at the time. But there is no more money" , declared Alexandre Thébault, delegated councilor for culture and heritage of the region, during an interview on France Culture, in December 2024.

On X (ex-Twitter), the president welcomes the adoption of "a budget of savings, of strong political choices" which focuses on "refocusing on our priority skills".

🗳️The regional budget adopted by a large majority! 64 out of 93 regional councilors voted in favor of the regional budget for the year 2025. Never in the history of our majority has a budget been adopted more widely than this one!

It's a budget of savings, of choices... pic.twitter.com/7mlKq6mscn

National stages, such as Les Quinconces and L'Espal in Le Mans and Le Carré in Château-Gontier (Mayenne), play a crucial role in providing vital cultural access in rural and semi-rural areas, far from major metropolises like Paris or Lyon. In Pays de la Loire, only five of these stages exist for the entire region.

Recognized as a national stage and a contemporary art center of national interest since 2002 and 2018, Le Carré offers a rich program of shows and contemporary art exhibitions. Housed in the Ursuline convent, it is essential for the cultural vitality of the region, where cultural resources are precious. But since October 2024, everything has changed and Maël Grenier, director of Le Carré, is sounding the alarm: "Our structure depends on 85% public funding, 8% of which comes from the Region. This means that we have 32% fewer resources for our artistic budget - that is, what we have left to program and support artists - all our cultural activities are impacted."

These budget cuts also have a human impact on recruitment and could even lead to layoffs. "I am freezing recruitment, stopping collaborations, reducing shows, residencies and territorial projects," explains Virginie Boccard. The very morning of our interview, she announced to a company that it would not have the means to welcome her into its program as planned.

For others, there is even talk of going as far as dismissal . "Currently, we have five permanent staff, but in the fall, out of the five, we may have to let go of four people. Do the math. There will only be one permanent staff member," explains Camille de La Guillonnière, artistic director of the Pays de la Loire Regional Theater company.

These cuts not only disrupt partnerships with associations, but also an entire cultural ecosystem that allows for the attractiveness of sometimes depressed areas: "Cuts in subsidies lead to project cancellations, layoffs and affect the local economy, from printers to hoteliers," recalls Virginie Boccard.

For Mélanie Alaitru, director of Chabada, a contemporary music venue in Angers, timing issues are harming the venue's business . "These brutal cuts come after the Covid crisis and in a context of inflation that has weakened the sector, particularly emerging artists who perform here," she explains.

The impact on culture affects both large cities and small towns, where funding supports the operating costs of cultural venues, but above all their public service mission .

"The Regional Council was our main financier with a grant of 100,000 euros out of a total budget of 800,000 euros," explains François Gabory. This aid was essential to maintain the accessibility of culture. "Without this aid, we will have to increase ticket prices and look for other sources of funding," he continues.

At Le Carré, to allow a low-cost ticket, financial compensation from the Region is necessary, and the conversion is simple. The average ticket price, including school tickets to accurately reflect the high attendance of this public, amounts to "10.70 euros". According to Maël Grenier, without public subsidies, this average price would increase "to a minimum of 95 euros" and could reach "up to 117 euros" if all "exempt places" were eliminated.

And finding private alternatives, as recommended by the regional president, is not easy. "Private companies, themselves in difficulty, cannot compensate for these reductions," says François Gabory. Virginie Boccard issues a warning: "It is not by transforming our theaters into rental venues that we will fulfill our public service mission. I refuse to let us transform ourselves into a convention center."

Beyond the financial stakes, this policy is perceived by some as an ideological decision, reducing culture to the rank of a non-priority sector. Christelle Morançais also insinuated, in a tweet, that culture would be "the monopoly of highly politicized associations, which live off public money".

An "absurd accusation" for Virginie Boccard, who believes that culture, "just like other areas such as sport or gender equality , are simply not considered essential by the regional president ."

For local stakeholders, the associative and cultural network plays a crucial role in the influence of the territory. For some, the problem even affects their identity.

This is the case of the Pays de la Loire Regional Theatre company, which travels the roads to to bring theatre closer to the people. "It's a whole philosophy of public service theatre that is in danger," explains Camille de La Guillonnière, the artistic director.

"A 'poor' theatre, which goes to meet the spectators. With these cuts, we will only be able to go to 30 villages instead of 70. Everyone loses, the company and the public. If this disappears, it is all the richness of our art that collapses" , he adds.

And to add an important clarification: "If the 2026 budget is not voted differently, we will change our name, because there is no reason for the region to appear in our name if it disengages."