Stay of execution for Theatro Ena after funding increase

Theatro Ena will stay open for another six months thanks to the intervention of deputy culture minister Yiannis Toumazis, its creative director said on Tuesday.

During a press conference on the future of the theatre, creative director Andreas Constantinides said that it was saved from closure “at the eleventh hour”.

He explained that the initial sponsorship offered by the government was €25,000, “a small amount that couldn’t keep us running for even a month,” but after a phone call and meeting with Toumazis, it was increased to €45,000.

Constantinides said that thanks to the deputy minister’s initiative, not only Theatro Ena, but also Anemona and Versus theatres have been saved from closure, getting a life extension that will allow them to exist for at least the next six months.

He also said that the deputy minister promised to review and change the sponsorship scheme for theatres, stressing that issues started with the implementation of Thoc’s ‘Thymeli’ plan, “an anti-theatre plan which really caused many theatres, primarily ours, to languish”.

He added that the plan needs to be reviewed to find better solutions for supporting theatres, “not just the big ones, but all worthy theatres”.

Asked about the deputy minister’s response, Constantinides said that Toumazis was “positive” towards fundamentally changing the ‘Thymeli’ plan, and starting a discussion with all theatres to establish new foundations for grants.

“In its 35 years in operation, Theatro Ena has broken ground and developed theatrical education while continuing its relations with Greece,” president of the board of directors Klitos Ioannides said in his own statements.

He suggested that theatres should receive rolling, permanent funding if they have a track record of over 18 years, also pointing out that there should be no distinction between theatres and actors.

“To be at the mercy of calculations at least twice a year means randomness and frivolity,” he concluded.