“The children collapsed on stage…” Serial discomfort in a Toulouse performance hall

“The party was set to be very beautiful,” laments one of the spectators present last Sunday at the Halle aux Grains. Indeed, the poster for the Choral Song Festival, which closed four days of recitals for the Lithuanian week in Toulouse, was attractive. Organized among others by the Toulouse Conservatory, this concert called “Coup de choir”, which brought together 700 choristers, from several choirs in the region and a Lithuanian choir, unfortunately turned into a heatwave.

Several children fainted on stage, and at least four of them fainted in the middle of the performance. The reason for this is the excessively high temperature in the room. “As soon as we arrived, around 6:15 p.m., it was very hot,” says a mother who was present. “On stage, we could see that the singers were suffering from it, they were scarlet. The adults were pulling at the collars of their shirts.” As for the children, they were not in a better position, especially since their stage outfits – skirts and thick tights for the girls, sweaters for everyone – also kept them warm. If we add to this the spotlights above their heads, the situation quickly became untenable for some.

The domino effect

“A boy collapsed first, around 9 p.m. Then others followed. The children collapsed one after the other, continues the mother. A little girl started shaking, was the domino effect. The firefighters came to remove them from the stage. It was a really strange atmosphere.”

Bottles of water are distributed on stage, while singers who are not feeling well are invited to sit down. In the audience, voices are raised. “Several spectators pointed out that the show had to be interrupted,” explains a father, also present. The children who were victims of illness were taken to a separate room. They were laid down so that they could regain their senses. and we gave them something to drink. The care was impeccable, there is nothing to say about that.”

The show is finally paused for several minutes, and the doors of the Halle aux Grains are opened wide to let the air circulate and try to freshen the atmosphere. The Choral Singing Festival then resumes to reach its end, as best it can. “There was a double uneasiness, that of the children and that of the public, which tarnished the party a little,” concludes the father, who wonders about the reasons for these excessive temperatures. According to him, there may have been a “problem of anticipation” with the heating of the room, which would not have taken into account the warm weather outside this Sunday. “700 singers, that releases a lot of heat, all that could explain why the temperature quickly rose inside.”