Patrice Martinet, director of the Théâtre de l’athénée, the founder and first director of the event «Paris District of summer,» as Jack Lang had wished to see born, and is surprised to see that exhibition, provided by the department des arts du spectacle of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, could not take place, because the new managers refused to give the permission to use the archives yet duly filed and maintained by the institution.

Director for twenty-seven years of ‘Paris District of summer» Patrice Martinet had made it a showpiece event in the capital at the beautiful season. Of course with years more brilliant than others, and with the worries of budget sometimes, like all cultural enterprises.

Joël Huthwohl, director of the department of performing Arts at the national Library of France, is one of the best connoisseurs of the history of the theater, performances. He puts his honor to make it accessible to the readers, the visitors of the national library, the archives that are filed. He has a gallery very nice on the site François-Mitterrand. «The Gallery of donors». It was thus admired, in recent seasons, the exhibitions dedicated to the legendary Théâtre de la Huchette, and another to the Theatre Opened, founded by Micheline and Lucien Attoun.

Precious, these shows allow fans to take the measure, with a variety of documents, from one adventure recent in the world of the performing arts. Joël Huthwohl prepared so serenely, with a colleague curator, an exhibition dedicated to the Festival Paris District of summer, which was to begin June 18 and continue throughout the summer.

However, the right to use these archives was refused by the rights holders, leaders of the association that bears the festival Paris summer (the successor to the Paris District of summer).

That is what it takes? We’ve known Stéphane Ricordel and Laurence de Magalhaes a long time ago. These are two well-respected artists, the founders of the society of Arts Jumps, that is often rented. A few years ago, they wanted to move on to something else. When they have taken the direction of the Théâtre Silvia-Monfort, they have done away with the name of this great woman of action from the world of culture, of the circus, the theatre. Their place is now called: The Monfort short. We do not understand very well why. The theater, like the circus, moreover, are arts of memory. Silvia Monfort was input into the Resistance at the age of 16 years old and had been decorated with the Croix de guerre by general de Gaulle and with the Bronze Star Medal by general Patton.

When they were designated as directors of the Festival Paris District of summer, they have also transformed an oddly beautiful name «Paris summer» on the grounds that «the neighborhood» was a word of a stigma! Why not print his mark!

today, they reached a new, completely incomprehensible, denying the French Library to use the archives of the festival for exhibition. The former director, Patrice Martinet responded by sending a letter to the president of the association, which door the event, a letter that he has decided to make public.

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Here is the letter from Patrice Martinet Catherine Sweat, president of the association

Madam President,

On June 18, 2019 would have had to be inaugurated at the National Library of France, at the initiative of the latter, an exhibit chronicling the 27 editions of the festival Paris quartier d been. Commissioners of scientists, whose independence is to rule in the matter, had been designated within the public institution and were at work for several months.

This exhibition will not take place. You have refused against all odds to give your consent to the use of archive materials, advertising, among others, which had nevertheless been the subject of donations a regular on my initiative in the department of performing arts of the BNF.

The decision you have taken is serious, I regret it deeply and now publicly.

such An infringement of the freedom of information and the development of a history is established deprive them of their legitimate right to the memory not only of the designers and organizers of the festival Paris quartier d been to hundreds of employees, whose commitment has been the strength of the event on the long-term, but also the approximately five thousand artists and technicians invited, not to speak of the spectators, whose number on the length greatly exceeds the million.

I see myself in the obligation sadly find that your decision falls in line with a number of acts committed continuously since 2017:

-change the name of the festival,

-challenging of all the contracts of the team of the festival Paris quartier d’été (no staff member was maintained in its functions),

-removal of the online archive of the new website of the festival.

The festival Paris summer, of which you assume responsibility, prides itself yet in its communication of its thirty years of existence. But at the same time he seems to put everything in place for that to be erased the past is now inaccessible to the general public. There was a long time we had not seen in our regions, and especially in our professions, such a company of damnatio memoriæ .

And as for me, the designer, founder and director for twenty-seven years of an event that I have often had the feeling of wearing against wind and tide, but always in the pursuit of the general interest and with the unwavering support of the artists, the public, and especially of a team dedicated to this just cause, I reserve that recognized the rights of all those who have been the protagonists of an adventure exceptional human: the right to recognition, the right to memory should not be denied to those who have invented, led, conducted on behalf of the public power, a mission of general interest.

delivery instant on-line archives of the festival Paris quartier summer would nonetheless be a first step that is constructive and symbolic, denoting a desire to preserve a work undertaken for twenty-seven years, and in the wake of which Paris has been the attempt to insert. Failing that see if take this first step, I’ll resume my freedom of action to assert this story today knowingly obliterated.

I beg you to believe, Madam President, the assurance of my sincere greetings dedicated.

Patrice Martinet.»

Laurence de Magalhaes believes that this does not prohibit an exhibit, but to give it to later. It writes in particular: «It seemed to us relevant that the demarcation chronological order, this exhibition is not limited to 2016, but extends to the current period. The institutions survive, in general, to the changes of directors. Fortunately. A report has been requested for the fall of 2019.» Of which act.