Rich happens at the Michelangelo Theater in Modena. Also at Carcano in Milan. And also in Carignano and Gobietti in Turin. And in Brancaccio in Rome. all this theaters Italians juggled during the epidemic to survive, but now the whiplash of inflation and high energy costs has changed this war turns into an even more difficult war. So much so that some say they have already started to take drastic measures, for example Reduce weekly schedules.
this is exactly the case Michelangelo theatre. Its director, Berto Gavioli, recently explained: because energy crisis the world and low flowthe structure was forced reduce your weekly schedule shows from three to two days. The reason: the need to reduce consumption costs.
“was one hard decisision, but unfortunately necessary”, Gavioli justified himself. ” We i do my best to guarantee continuity,” he added, explaining that prose theater subscribers were also cut in half. Something that further complicates the survival mission of this particular theater, which was founded in 1988. during Pandemic survived on subsidies indicate that you no longer have it.
failed investments
And this it’s not easy to resistAccording to EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA from the Prensa Ibérica group, as well as Alessandro Longobardi, artistic director of the Brancaccio theater in Rome. The rise in energy prices is astonishing.” Longobardi, whose 1,300-spectator theater opened in 1916, says, “We’ve seen increases of up to 300%.”
Even Brancaccio’s investment in LED lightsnormally an energy-saving system, did not serve To offset price increases. Longobardi complains that this was a “futile” effort and that he has not canceled activities for the time being because it is also substantial compensation.
history repeats itself in similar terms at the Carcano theater in Milan, which recently replaced the old lighting system with a new one that can work with LED lights. But the problem here is even more complex. “Not all the external (theatre) companies we host do this adapt to the new systemThis forces us to have high energy costs,” said Carlo Gavaudan, the head of this theatre, in statements collected by the weekly L’Essenziale.
uncertain future
predictions for the future inside start shaking. This was announced by Filippo Fonsatti, director of the foundation that manages Carignano and Gobietti in Turin, and two other smaller theaters in the same area. “We spent a total of about 340,000 euros on gas and electricity in 2019,” Fonsatti said. an invoice of about 500,000 euros.
the problem started rocking alpine politics. An example is that of Matteo Renzi, the leader of the centrist Italia Viva party. “It seems immoral to me that the (Italian) government wants to help Serie A football teams. There are tens of millions who need to go to amateur sports communities and culture,” the politician said. “The government forgot the culture”, while criticizing the Italian budget plan, also condemned the actor Stefano Accordi, it has not yet been conclusively approved.
Moreover, Italy is not the only European country in this situation. In October some hungarian theaters confirmed this they will close their doors because of the energy crisis this winter. And in other countries France and Germanyother cultural institutions are also struggling in difficult times.