French fest shut down by protest
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Striking actors brought down the curtain on France’s Avignon festival on Tuesday in a dispute over proposed welfare changes, despite a plea by the culture minister for the show to go on.
Performing artists, actors and stagehands held protests in Avignon, La Rochelle and Paris as unions met employers ahead of a vote on whether to continue action.
The row erupted just as actors and roadies were setting up for France’s summer festivals, which attract hordes of theater lovers and talent-spotters and bring money into towns such as Avignon.
Avignon’s Tuesday opening performances were axed and the festival board scheduled a Wednesday meeting to discuss scrapping the entire three-week program, which normally draws more than 100,000 visitors.
From Reuters
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