The issue of accessibility today resonates in political and institutional discourse, such as the need to open up cultural venues more to as many people as possible. Revisiting their programming, mediation tools and the organisation of their place, the National dramatic Centres, which are emblematic institutions of cultural decentralisation, have reinvented themselves since they were set up to comply with their specifications, their public service mission and their desire for accessibility. These public institutions, which have undergone numerous economic and identity crises since the 50s, have been subsidised to a large extent by the State and local authorities and are thus trying to continuously develop their cultural offer. In this context, free of charge for audiences seems paradoxical, yet it can prove to be a tool consistent with projects in these venues led by artists. This memory goes through the history of cultural democratisation in France, evoking its roots in the utopies of the popular theatre and the strong link between these policies and the concepts of public and non-public, to show the place of free in this context. Showing the possibilities and limitations of the use of free of charge, the aim here is to understand how free of charge may be a lever for these institutions. After several years of communication studies and reflections I have had during various professional experiences in the cultural environment, this memory and the accompanying booklet are intended to be the source of new questions for the inclusion of free of charge as a tool for mediation in theatres.