“A gauge filled to a little over 50%, that’s not viable.” Yann Autret’s voice is calm, but his dark glasses struggle to hide a certain emotion. The second evening of the Petites Folies, in Quiberon, is not yet over and it is already time for the director to take stock. “We had 2,500 spectators on Friday, maybe 2,700 this Saturday, compared to 8,000 last year. We didn’t have the same enthusiasm and we don’t understand why.” The observation at the end of this second edition is bitter. “We wonder: is it the territory, the date, the programming? These are all avenues that we will have to explore,” he asks.
Does this compromise a third edition? “If you ask the question, it’s because it’s being asked,” replies the director. “Yes, the question of the future is really being asked today. But we also know that people, partners and audiences alike, are already attached to the event. Now, we have to ask ourselves if we’re bringing people together. If that’s the case, we’re going to have to hang on. If not, it means that we’re perhaps not good.”
In addition to the questions related to attendance, Yann Autret deplores the lack of support from the Region. “In the general incomprehension, we have not had any help, except from Aqta, with the shuttles, and of course, the support of the city. However, the Region has a role to play. We know that €1 spent on a festival is €1 spent on the territory, on accommodation or catering. We contribute to its attractiveness.” He also regrets the closure of the Tire-Bouchon, a week earlier. “We know that all the campsites are full. There are still people. It would change a lot of things if it continued to run until this weekend.”
“Without funding, the equation doesn’t hold up”
Yann Autret acknowledges that it also takes time to set up a festival. “Two years is not enough to have perspective. We are aware that we have to be patient. Now, I am going to fight with the Region, because without funding, the equation does not hold.”
To end on a more positive note, the director praises his team, “with strong human qualities”. “The performance they provide lives up to the quality guarantee and I am proud of it. I believe that we also have a role to play, in a dark political and social period, with a festival that advocates intergenerational and openness. That is why if we have to fight, we will do it”.
