Apollo111 Theatre: Lack of support measures for independent cultural sector condemns it to extinction

he lack of support measures for the independent cultural sector of the performing arts is a condemnation to extinction, reads a press release of the Apollo111 Theatre sent on Wednesday to AGERPRES.

"We are closing theatres and cinema halls again without a plan to support the independent cultural sector, however precarious and ignored, which is now facing disaster. We let it go because we do not understand it anyway, although we have had meetings with its representatives and they explained to us how it works, and although this sector has built remarkable cultural spaces and shows in the past 30 years, educated and created new audiences, created jobs, paid taxes, innovated, was at the forefront of Romanian culture. We are closing the independent theatres and cinema halls again and we are not offering them any support to make it to next year, we are closing the door of culture again, in Romania in 2020, part of the European Union, because even now we do not understand what this means for the people. Good night," shows the press release.

According to the press release, at the beginning of September, approximately 40 cultural spaces in the country made a public appeal to the Romanian Government explaining the situation of the independent theatres and requesting financial aid to be able to make it to next year.

"We remind you that, at the beginning of September, around 40 cultural spaces in the country made a public appeal to the Romanian Government, explaining the situation in which they find themselves and proving that, without financial aid, they will not survive until next year. There were also meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan and the Minister of Culture, Bogdan Gheorghiu, on this subject, where they were offered concrete proposals for support, but no action was taken in this direction by the authorities," reads the same press release.