The audience is a vital factor in the art of theatre, but the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has seen Italian theatres bringing down the curtain on a national level, with many shows getting cancelled in the middle of their peak seasons. Whole festivals have been axed and it’s impossible for playhouses to postpone dates because schedules have already been set. Autumn and winter programmes for 2020 have already been locked in.
This not only destroys any possibility of revenue, but additionally inhibits industry workers being able to reach show thresholds or the amount of working days necessary to claim the minimal welfare allowance they so desperately need.
A Terrifying Situation
A study undertaken in 2017 found that more than 80% of Italians working in this sector don’t have access to unemployment measures, a frightening state of affairs for an industry already characterized by scattered employment.
President of the Italian Association for Theatre, Massimo Dapporto, has stated that he hopes this crisis will have the silver lining of being a turning point in terms of the creation of a welfare system for actors and other theatre workers.
ApTI has called on Dario Freceschini, the Italian Minister of Culture, to declare a state of emergency, asking for a quarantine income, AND taking particular aim at the Five Star Movement scheme, the citizen’s income.
The economic damage will be far more significant for independent productions and theatres not financed by the Fondo Unico per lo Spettacolo. Like many European countries, arts and theatres can be subsidised by the government, but in Italy over 50% of this fund goes to opera alone.
Those With No Savings Should be Worried
Actors, managers of small theatre companies, and directors are all deeply troubled not only by the hit their finances are taking due to the cancellation of shows, but also as a result of the shutting down of educational activities at schools.
They may have to resort to playing Bingo games for money to win some extra cash. The lack of consistency in revenue for most industry professionals was somewhat mitigated by teaching and workshops being run before the lockdown put an end to this extra income stream.
Workshops are seen as consultancies, so when doing lessons, these individuals would have to say that they’re consulting if questioned by a labour inspector. This leaves them in quite the predicament, since employers are thus not mandated to take care of them.
With incomes ranging between €10 000 and €15 000 per annum, most are simply surviving and many don’t earn a monthly salary. Instead, they make the bulk of their income once, twice, three times a year, with each project being paid for in one go. So, getting paid €6 000 in December and €7 000 in June adds up to a tidy yearly income, but what is made in two months must last for 12.
This means serious trouble for those that had nothing in their bank accounts when the restrictions kicked in at the end of February.