the essential The announced drop in subsidies and the constant deterioration of public aid no longer allow the Théâtre du Grand Rond to operate in Toulouse. It announces its closure for July 2026 if nothing changes…
For a little over 20 years, the Grand Rond theater managed to retain 45,000 spectators in Toulouse. But ticket revenue and the low subsidies from different communities are no longer enough…
Its seven employees, united since 2018 in a cooperative society of collective interest (SCIC), are sounding the alarm even before the announcement of a reduction in municipal subsidies. “Without increased financial support from its public partners (City, Department, Region, State), the Théâtre du Grand Rond will permanently close its doors in July 2026,” communicates the theater. “The 2025 – 2026 season will be that of the last chance and will be built in precariousness.”
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This Thursday, November 28, the Toulouse town hall will vote in the municipal council on a subsidy of €67,800 for the Grand Rond, or 60% of its annual subsidy as for all other associations. “This amount represents 60% of our municipal subsidy which is €113,000 but we have already been informed that we will not recover the whole amount and that the loss can vary between 10 and 40%,” explains Eric Vanelle, co-founder of theater and currently responsible for development and public policies. “Knowing that in 10 years, we have already lost nearly €20,000 in aid from the City. For the moment, neither the Region nor the Drac have yet given any news and the Department has voted for a grant identical to 2024”.
Pay companies better
If the Grand Rond theater is encountering more difficulties in operating, it is also because in 2021, after Covid, the aid received has allowed it to better remunerate the artistic teams hosted. “These local companies, for the most part, were the most affected by the Covid crisis,” adds Eric Vanelle. “It was essential to allow them to get through the crisis without too much damage thanks to the aid paid by the State and local authorities. We have thus arrived at an almost normal level of remuneration. There is no question of going back and to pay less to those who already have very little.
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For the Théâtre du Grand Rond, the amount of the global subsidy per spectator is €5.20, or €235,000 on a budget of €750,000.
“We should increase the subsidy to €9 per spectator, which amounts to an increase of €190,000 in public aid, which is much lower than in other performance halls in the city,” adds Eric Vanelle. “We don’t blame others for having more than us, we just want to have more to continue existing.”
Wrested from a real estate developer who had begun to destroy it, the Théâtre du Grand Rond opened in November 2003, rue des Potiers, between the Halle aux Grains and the Jardin des Plantes. In the first part of the evening, its aperitif shows have over the years created social ties in the neighborhood. It would therefore be inconceivable that it would suddenly disappear from the cultural and local landscape.
