Two new presidents at the head of Avignon Festival & Compagnies
For the first time since the creation ofAvignon Festival & Companies (AF&C), off coordinator, a pair was appointed as its head. This choice, which comes in a climate of tensions exacerbated by the invalidation of the election of the previous president Sébastien Benedetto, constitutes an advantage in the eyes of his successors, Harold-David and Laurent Domingues. “The Off has long suffered from a personification of its direction, a source of frustration and a real obstacle to defining a project for the festival”, considers Laurent Domingos, actor, director, artistic director of the Compagnie Minuit44 and president of the Sentinelles, Federation of performing arts companies. By sharing the presidency with Harold David, co-director of the Atypik, the Archipel Theater and the Rouge Gorge, he also hopes to “break a logic of opposition” which prevailed somewhat until now between the college of theaters and that of companies.
Very active for a year and a half within the Estates General of Off (EGOFF) where they met, the co-presidents certainly intend to formulate new directions for the demonstration. Regardless of precipitation. Two priorities are indeed imposed on them: to work of course for the success of the 2022 edition, so that it is “a moment of celebration” after two years of health crisis, and stabilizer the work of the association by introducing into its governance the principle of
” participative democracy “, cornerstone of their action. “If we want to have the festival evaluated, it is essential not to impose anything from above, emphasizes Harold David, but to encourage the support of all the players, by working on what, beyond our differences, we gather. The other concern of the new presidents is to restore trust, deepened in recent months, with the partners of the Off, public authorities (State and local authorities, whose financial support remains a minority, less than 10% of AF&C’s budget) and civil society. “It is also essential to bring a real project to the public authorities and to engage with them in consultation on the usefulness of the festival for the performing arts sector”, Laurent Domingos, defending the positioning of Off as an interface between the productions offered by companies and broadcasters who come to “do their shopping”. Often criticized because it has pejorative connotations, the notion of ” market “ is assumed by Harold David and Laurent Domingos, determined however to fight against its excesses, in particular thanks to the creation of a label granted to theaters that respect good practices. “The reflection around a labeling of the places emerged within the EGOFF then of the Federation of the independent theaters of Avignon. This work will continue during the summer and then will be the subject of discussions in the fall, gradually with the members of the AF&C”, announces Harold David. Other subjects, such as pooling and sponsorship between companies, will also soon be discussed.
Finally, questioned about relations with the Festival d’Avignon, the presidents of AF&C consider the constant comparison between In and Off (with different missions and very different issues) to be ineffective and prefer to situate themselves in the field of complementarity, for example in terms ofcultural irrigation of the territory throughout the year. “The In carries out numerous actions aimed at audiences excluded from culture. Thanks to its 1,500 companies and its 140 theatres, the Off can act alongside it”, says Laurent Domingos, confident, in view of the comments made by Tiago Rodrigues, in his “benevolent listening” and the possibility of co-constructing projects. .