Podcast Summary: Les Clés (RTBF)

Episode: Pourquoi 2/3 des Belges ne vont jamais au spectacle ?

Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Arnaud Ruyssen
Guests:

• Vassilia van der Heijden (Adj. à la direction culture RTBF)
• Gabriel Alloin (Directeur, La Ferme du Biéreau)
• Éric de Stark (Comédien, ex-directeur du Richeclair)
• Laurence Adam (Directrice, Article 27 Bruxelles)
• Vox populi: Témoignages recueillis dans la rue (par Sarah Poussey)

Main Theme

This episode investigates the striking statistic that 7 out of 10 French-speaking Belgians never attend live shows or theater. Inspired by the RTBF/Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles initiative "J’peux pas, j’ai spectacle", which offered thousands of theater tickets at 2€, the host and guests discuss whether price is the main barrier—or if deeper reasons explain this cultural disconnect.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Impact of the "J’peux pas, j’ai spectacle" Initiative

• Overview: The campaign offered 150+ performances across ~70 venues at only 2€ per ticket, with remarkable uptake: 80% of tickets snapped up in the first 15 minutes ([02:33]).
• Key Insights:
  • Diversity: Events ranged from street theater to intimate monologues, available throughout Wallonie and Brussels ([01:54]).
  • New Audiences: 41% of ticket buyers hadn’t attended a show the previous year, and 52% were entering a venue for the first time ([03:41]).
• Quote:
  • "Même si c'est des gens qui vont déjà au théâtre, il y a quand même une grosse moitié qui n'a jamais mis les pieds dans ce théâtre-là ou cette salle de spectacle."
    — Vassilia van der Heijden [03:41]

2. Is Price Really the Central Barrier?

• Perspective: Lowering prices does attract people, but price alone doesn't ensure sustained or new attendance.
• Cultural Value & Perception: Cheaper or free tickets may unintentionally diminish perceived cultural value.
• Quote:
  • "Plus vous descendez le prix, plus vous risquez aussi, symboliquement, de dévaloriser le projet... Naïvement, on pense que si on met le prix à zéro, les gens vont plus venir. L'expérience montre que ce n'est pas le cas."
    — Gabriel Alloin [04:55]
• Marketing’s Power: Campaigns and visible, centralized offers (a “guichet unique”) can overcome not just the price barrier but also lack of awareness ([06:48]).
• Quote:
  • "Le vrai problème c’est de prendre les gens par la main. Cette opération prend les gens par la main et les emmène vers le théâtre."
    — Éric de Stark [05:59]

3. What the Public Says: Barriers Beyond Price

• Timestamps: [08:25] – [10:25]

• Street Testimonies:

  • Little or no habit of attending theater/concerts
  • Prioritize other activities (sports, family)
  • Time constraints (work, children, especially single-parent families)
  • Social codes & discomfort ("ce n'est pas pour moi")
  • High cost of big concerts; careful selection ("on attend vraiment l’artiste qu’on veut voir")
  • Reluctance to go alone; preference for communal experience
  • Sometimes, simply a lack of interest

• Quotes:

  • "Je fais plutôt du sport, donc je suis plutôt du côté du sport que de la culture." [08:56]
  • "Les concerts, c’est cher maintenant, donc t’as plus de l’argent jeté." [10:08]

4. Cultural Mediation: A Necessary Accompaniment

• Article 27’s Approach:
  • Offers tickets at 1,25€ for people in financial hardship ([11:14]).
  • Recognizes that price reduction is not enough—emphasizes proactive outreach, cultural mediation, and support to build a sense of legitimacy and belonging in cultural spaces.
• Quote:
  • "Il ne suffit pas...de leur dire que la place est à 1,25€...pour que ça connecte avec la proposition culturelle. Il faut aller plus loin que cela dans la prise par la main."
    — Host [12:43]
• Mediators’ Role:
  • Introducing and explaining programs, organizing pre-event meetings with artists, demystifying venues ([13:22]).
  • "C’est un travail de reconnexion avec la dimension culturelle de son existence, pour pouvoir justement se sentir légitime..."
    — Laurence Adam [11:14]

5. The Social, Practical, and Psychological Hurdles

• Practicalities:
  • Transport availability (especially outside cities), lack of time, childcare
• Social context:
  • Isolation; going alone is a deterrent versus group attendance
• Emotional Barriers:
  • Feeling out of place, not possessing "the codes" for theater ([14:01])
• Notable Quotes:
  • "Il y a une sorte de barrière culturelle... j’ai pas ma place au théâtre, à l’opéra… j’ai pas les codes."
    — Host [14:01]
  • "Les familles monoparentales…quand il faut s’occuper de ses enfants et qu’on est seul, on n’a pas le temps de faire autre chose..."
    — Laurence Adam [22:45]

6. Market Forces & The 'Dynamic Pricing' of Tickets

• Trend: Spike in prices for concerts, especially high-demand international acts, explained partly by industry shifts (less income from physical media).
• Dynamic Pricing: Prices can increase in real-time based on demand (“comme les billets d’avion”) ([20:05]).
• Quote:
  • "Le prix a grimpé jusqu’au-dessus de 250 euros la place."
    — Gabriel Alloin [20:17]

7. Urban vs. Provincial Dynamics & The Loss of 'Théâtre Populaire'

• Urban (Brussels): Series runs allow for word-of-mouth, longer showings, stronger communities.
• Provinces: Shows are often "one-shot" events (one weekend), making it easy to miss out—less opportunity for community buzz ([20:49], [21:59]).
• Call for Popular Culture: Audience inclusion requires a return to ‘populaire’ (not populist!) programming.
• Economic Realities: Limited runs due to risk and cost for subsidized venues ([21:59]).
• Quote:
  • "Il faut renouer avec un théâtre populaire… qu’on s’adresse à tout le monde."
    — Éric de Stark [21:47]

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Le vrai problème c’est de prendre les gens par la main… et les emmener vers le théâtre."
  — Éric de Stark [05:59]
• "Plus vous descendez le prix, plus vous risquez aussi, symboliquement, de dévaloriser le projet."
  — Gabriel Alloin [04:55]
• "On n’a pas ma place au théâtre... j’ai pas les codes, j’ai l’impression que c’est pas pour moi."
  — Host [14:01]
• "Les concerts, c’est cher maintenant, donc t’as plus de l’argent jeté."
  — Street respondent [10:08]
• "Il faut renouer avec un théâtre populaire…pas populiste. Populaire."
  — Éric de Stark [21:47]

Important Timestamps

• 00:10: Introduction of the main question and campaign context
• 01:54: Vassilia van der Heijden describes the diverse programming
• 03:41: Data: 41% new attendees, 52% new venues
• 04:55 – 07:26: Price: Symbolism, marketing, and barriers
• 08:25 – 10:25: Vox pop: Belgians' reasons for (not) attending shows
• 11:14 – 14:54: Laurence Adam on the necessity of mediation/off-stage outreach
• 19:25 – 20:17: Gabriel Alloin explains dynamic pricing and cost increases
• 21:47: Éric de Stark: Theatre ‘populaire’ vs. ‘populiste’
• 22:45: Laurence Adam on time constraints (single-parent families, etc.)

Conclusion

The episode clearly establishes that while financial cost is a barrier to attending live performances in Belgium, it is only one part of a complex puzzle. Other significant obstacles include perceived lack of legitimacy, unfamiliarity with cultural 'codes,' practical difficulties (time, transport, childcare), and social inhibitions or isolation. Initiatives like highly visible, low-cost campaigns can attract new audiences, but sustainable inclusion requires ongoing cultural mediation, diversified outreach, and making cultural spaces feel welcoming and relevant to all. The podcast closes by emphasizing that reducing the price of tickets is "largely insufficient" to truly democratize access to the performing arts in Belgium.