Rome, July 5, 2011
TEATRO VALLE OCCUPATO – PROPOSAL FOR A NEW TEATRO VALLE
On 14 June 2011, Lavoratrici e Lavoratori dello Spettacolo, a group of workers of art and entertainment, film / theater / dancers / technicians, have occupied the Teatro Valle to save it from an uncertain future. The occupiers have issued an appeal signed by over 8000 people. Citizens, artists, professionals, workers, people of Italian and international culture, gave life to the Teatro Valle, that has emerged as a venue with a strong symbolic value at a national level, a place to share ideas and experiences, a place to elaborate together a political and critical thought, according to a choice of active citizenship.
From the confrontations that came out of the public assemblies during these weeks, it became clear that the Teatro Valle must remain public and be recognized and protected as a COMMON, with a subjective right and fundings dedicated to its management, in legal forms as a public body or a foundation. Regarding the artistic vocation of Teatro Valle we think it should be a center devoted to the Italian Contemporary Dramaturgy.
On the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy it is crucial to give birth to a theater devoted to playwriting, that takes care of education and training and that is able to interact with the corresponding theaters that work abroad, such as the Royal Court Theatre in London, the Theatre de la Colline in Paris, the Schaubühne in Berlin.
This is the theater where the “Six Characters in Search of an Author” by Pirandello debuted in 1921, creating a revolution in the Italian drama.This is the best place to perform that function. Thomas Ostermeier, artistic director of the Schaubühne encouraged this initiative with a letter.
Teatro Valle, given its particular nature (it is the oldest theatre in Rome, built in 1726), beside its vocation to the Italian contemporary playwriting, for its stage, its history and the high professionalism of its workers, could become an excellent training center for stage-technicians, emphasizing an Italian art recognized throughout the world.
The Teatro Valle is an important place for the theatrical life of our country. The occupiers want it to remain public because the need for profit risks to spoil its artistic vocation. They ask to the Italian Republic to assume the responsibility to safeguard this vocation respecting its commitment to “protect the historical and artistic heritage of the Nation” as established by the Constitution.
The occupants have sent a letter to President Giorgio Napolitano, asking him to support the initiative.
The occupants are aware of the present economical and financial difficulties of the country and, precisely for this reason, they believe that the situation should be faced not with a blind policy of cuts, but with forward-looking projects aiming to reduce waste and to enhance the artistic talents which are a key resource for the country.
A renewed future for Teatro Valle would be a major starting point for everybody, ushering a new season of Italian cultural policy resetting art, knowledge and creativity as center of the social system. Radical reforms capable of ensuring efficiency and autonomy in the public management, would allow virtuous actions of the privates and would restore dignity to the professionals of this industry with specific laws recognising their rights.
With the support of Ugo Mattei, Professor of Civil Law at the University of Turin and author of the referendum questionnaire on Water (voted on by the italians one moth ago), we are imagining new forms of ethical management able to provide the possibility of a plural artistic direction with the guarantee of a turn-over; an “ecological” principle ensuring a balanced distribution of resources between small and large productions, for training and hospitality; fairness in pay – reduction of the gap between the minimum and maximum-, a price policy accessible and progressive; boards for independent monitoring, transparency and readability of financial statements published on the web, developing a code of ethics, as model for all theaters and companies.
Download document here: Press_Valle_Occupato_inglese doc
– Teatro Valle is the theatre where Luigi Pirandello‘s Six Characters in search of an author was first staged, May 9th 1921. The actors were Luigi Almirante, Vera Vergani, Ione Prigerio, Luigi Cimara, Margherita Donadoni, Alfonso Magheri, directed by Dario Niccodemi. The theatre was packed, 1080 tickets were sold.
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