(by Gioia Giudici) (ANSA) – MILAN, 29 OCT – “I see that there is a law that is being prepared, be careful that the result does not produce a worse situation than the current one”: this is the alarm raised by the superintendent of the theater at the Scala Dominique Meyer, at the conference ‘For a new law of live entertainment’ promoted by the Foundation “Paolo Grassi – The voice of culture” together with the University of Milan, where the measures adopted in favor of the world of show in the budget bill.
For the superintendent of La Scala, there is a need for “clear lines for access to public money, on what criteria and what they are used for, and a control. I am for systems where there is more freedom and control a posteriori, so everyone knows they will be controlled. ” To work peacefully, you need to “know what the budget will be made up of and not that of the current year”. Linked to this is the issue of the appointment of superintendents which, according to Meyer, should take place two or three years before their actual assignment, to give them time to organize the planning.
Alla Scala, Meyer said, “I took a train that had already left the station. I would like to propose a simple system: you appoint a superintendent 2-3 years before his assignment, appoint him in advance and this designated director must have the power of signature to hire projects and artists starting from the start date of his actual contract “.
All this is necessary, the superintendent reiterates, because “anticipation is very important, when our work is done at the last moment it hurts and becomes more expensive”. On an artistic level, then, “if you want to make a beautiful opera by Verdi or Wagner with a few great singers who are able to do it, you have to do it 4 or 5 years in advance. I am preparing the tetralogy and I will not be able to do it before 2024. because conductors and singers are not free before, this is a central need and applies to everyone “.
Still with regard to public funds, however, there is another issue that is close to the heart of the superintendent: “In many places – he says – the prices are too high”. Among these, the same Scala where “I found a subscription system for 2300 euros”. “These prices are decided by those who have never paid for a ticket. – he underlines – Our whole community must fight to reduce this fare because it is ridiculous”. For this reason “the counterpart of public money must be the access of the majority of society to theaters”.
The reform, for Meyer, should include a certain simplification because he himself, arriving in Milan, admitted that he was “afraid of the unnecessary rules and complexities, of the time lost in overcoming artificial obstacles”.
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