In Concarneau, the coordinator of 4 Ass and Plus licensed, another blow for culture.

As the program for the festival Les Intemporelles (formerly Théâtre au féminin), from March 3 to 20, was unveiled on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, funding for culture also made its way to the table. At the end of March, once the curtain falls on the festival, Élodie Loos, coordinator within the association 4 Ass’ et Plus for 4 years, will leave her position for economic reasons. “Her coordination and communication work will stop,” announced the association’s president, Samuel Denis.

Bridges between social and cultural sectors collapsing

The network 4 Ass’ et Plus, which federates about fifteen structures (show venues, community centers, associations, and cultural businesses), finds itself in a financial deadlock. “The association, which relies on 80% of public funding, is lacking grants that decrease year after year. The board of directors has decided to proceed with the economic redundancy of Élodie,” detailed the president.

If the City of Concarneau and Concarneau Cornouaille Agglomération (CCA) have made slight financial efforts, the shortfall in aid from the Department and Region is becoming significant. This redundancy is not just a matter of numbers, it’s a “network beheading” and bridges between social and cultural sectors collapsing. Élodie Loos, 35, was in charge of the live performance and professional network pole of the association 4 Ass’ et Plus. “We want to draw attention to this common situation affecting many social and cultural structures,” she also commented. “This redundancy will affect many other structures. Several venues in France are proceeding with economic redundancies, the live performance barometer in Brittany records a 40% drop in show dates, and tension signals are multiplying. National drastic cuts directly impact our region.”

Actions will disappear

Because while shows will continue to exist at CCA, the coordination work will disappear. “We brought high school students to meet artists, we organized inclusive dance residencies for people with disabilities. What will be primarily affected are the mediation actions with schools and actions with residents,” all network members worry.

Representatives from MJC de Trégunc, Abri côtier, café-librairie Boucan in Pont-Aven, and the community center La Balise all agree: coordination allowed the aggregation of skills that small structures cannot carry alone. “Without this pivot, we return to simple juxtaposition of local initiatives, without a territorial vision,” they foresee.

A cultural desert in the making?

Between the absence of a cultural center (CAC) and with a culture now beyond walls and the blockage of subsidies to associations following the cancellation of the last municipal council, Concarneau seems to be losing its status as a cultural locomotive in the region. The actors present this Tuesday sounded the alarm: when network heads fall, access to culture suffers, “especially for the most distant and fragile audiences.”

The festival Les Intemporelles 2026, which will showcase creations by female artists, will likely mark the end of a cycle. That of a certain idea of cooperation between CCA and Quimperlé.