FAQ for professionals

Under employment law, all work must be remunerated; the rule therefore requires that they be employed on a salaried basis. However, since the LCAP Act of 7 July 2016, there have been (strictly regulated) exceptions to the requirement to pay amateurs in a professional production.

To fully understand all the conditions that must be met (entering into an agreement with the public authorities, having a remit to promote amateur theatre, organising a limited number of performances, etc.), we invite you to consult our practical guide ‘Amateur participation in a professional production’.

No! By definition, a dance company’s main activity is to produce performances. It is therefore obliged to submit this declaration before commencing any activity. This exemption for up to six performances a year applies only to ‘performing arts organisers operating on a secondary basis’, namely amateur groups and businesses with a different main activity.

Whenever a business is set up, INSEE assigns an APE code (Principal Activity Carried Out) based on the organisation’s purpose. A business’s principal activity determines its rights and obligations (applicable collective agreement, grant applications, etc.). In practice, a business involved in the production and/or staging of performances (e.g. a dance company) will be assigned code 90.001Z ‘Performing arts’. When drafting the stated purpose of the association or company, it is important to clearly highlight its main activity so that INSEE assigns the correct APE code.