French cultural institutions pivot online amid COVID-19 festival cancellations
After President Emmanuel Macron's announcement on April 13 to cancel festivals until mid-July, French cultural institutions enhanced their digital initiatives. The Comédie-Française introduced 'Comédie continue!', a daily online series showcasing archived performances. Beginning April 19, France 5 will air a play each Sunday, starting with 'Le Misanthrope'. The MC93 shared a filmed segment of 'Bajazet' and launched a daily audio series of 'Decameron'. France Culture presented a concert-fiction version of 'Moby Dick'. The Théâtre du Châtelet made 'La Belle Hélène' accessible until May 23, while the Opéra Comique revived 'Opéraoké' and provided 'L'Inondation'. The Bayreuth Festival postponed its 2020 event to 2021. Olivier Py mentioned the need for a new scenario for the Festival d'Avignon.
Key facts
- Emmanuel Macron announced cancellation of all festivals until mid-July on April 13, 2020.
- Comédie-Française launched 'Comédie continue!' with daily four-hour online programming.
- France 5 will broadcast a Comédie-Française play every Sunday, starting with 'Le Misanthrope' on April 19.
- MC93 released a filmed excerpt of Frank Castorf's 'Bajazet' and a daily audio series of Boccaccio's 'Decameron'.
- France Culture aired a concert-fiction adaptation of 'Moby Dick' by Stéphane Michaka with music by Fabien Waksman.
- Bayreuth Festival canceled its 2020 edition, rescheduling to 2021.
- Edinburgh International Festival (August 7-31) canceled its 2020 edition.
- Jennifer Koh initiated 'Alone Together', commissioning 30-second pieces for $500 from composers like Wang Lu and Tania León.
Entities
Artists
- Emmanuel Macron
- Frank Castorf
- Mounir Margoum
- Sylvain Creuzevault
- Elma Stefania Ágústsdóttir
- Laurence Chable
- Stéphane Michaka
- Fabien Waksman
- Robinson Stévenin
- Éric Ruf
- Clément Hervieu-Léger
- Christian Hecq
- Valérie Lesort
- Isabelle Nanty
- Gaëlle Arquez
- Pierrick Sorin
- Giorgio Barberio Corsetti
- Petr Zelenka
- Élise Vigier
- Marcial Di Fonzo Bo
- Karine Viard
- Helena Noguerra
- Thomas Ostermeier
- Joël Pommerat
- Francesco Filidei
- Philippe Boesmans
- Katie Mitchell
- Christophe Grapperon
- Marine Thoreau La Salle
- Jennifer Koh
- Wang Lu
- Tania León
- Olivier Py
- Pierre Audi
- Romeo Castellucci
- Patricia Petibon
- Myrtò Papatanasiu
- Sabine Devieilhe
- Max Richter
- Erik Satie
- Pedro Almodóvar
- Molière
- Georges Feydeau
- Jules Verne
- Shakespeare
- Boccaccio
- Pascal
- Racine
- Artaud
- Melville
- Mozart
- Strauss
- Debussy
- Offenbach
- Cavalli
- Zamiatine
- Louise Michel
- Johnny Hallyday
Institutions
- Comédie-Française
- MC93
- Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
- France Culture
- France Inter
- France 5
- France Télévisions
- France Musique
- Orchestre national de France
- INA
- Arte
- Arte TV
- Arte Concert
- Radio France
- BBC Radio 3
- Théâtre du Châtelet
- Opéra Comique
- Comédie de Caen
- Funambule Montmartre
- Funambule TV
- Opsis TV
- Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
- Opéra de Dijon
- Philharmonie de Paris
- Festival d'Avignon
- Festival d'Aix-en-Provence
- Bayreuth Festival
- Edinburgh International Festival
- El Diario
- artpress
Locations
- Bobigny
- France
- Paris
- Lausanne
- Switzerland
- Florence
- Italy
- Caen
- Montmartre
- New York
- United States
- Bayreuth
- Germany
- Edinburgh
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
- Avignon
- Aix-en-Provence
- Dijon
- Spain
Sources
- artpress —