The unfolding saga of a pre-announced upheaval took a critical turn on Thursday with the belated release of the results of the “Thymeli Plan” concerning the funding of professional theatrical productions.Theatrical groups have indefinitely suspended all activities, formally calling for immediate and drastic intervention from the President of the Republic. Simultaneously, they demand the resignation of the Deputy Minister and the Director-General of the Ministry of Culture “to prevent the dissolution of professional theatre.”The Federation of Theatre Organizations in Cyprus emphasizes that, despite assurances received, the results lead both theatres and dozens of artists and other theatre professionals into unemployment.Reactions have been building for months and just a few days ago, two more theatres blamed the Deputy Ministry for their professional “suffocation.”The Federation published an open letter to President Nikos Christodoulides, stating that after the announcement of the “Thymeli Plan 2024” and consultations with the Ministry, they expressed strong disagreement with the plan’s underlying philosophy.Despite pre-election assurances of support, there was no response to their letter dated September 28, 2023.To prevent the dissolution of professional theatre, six theatres, namely Satiriko, Ena, ETHAL, Scala, Dionysos, and Anemona, have collectively decided to indefinitely suspend all their activities.“In an attempt to overcome the Ministry’s intransigence and after your pre-election assurances of support for our Federation, addressing you in our letter dated September 28, 2023, unfortunately, received no response,” the letter states.Furthermore, the six theatres request the assumption of responsibilities: the resignation of the Deputy Minister of Culture and the Director-General of the Ministry of Culture. They look forward to the President’s intervention to resolve all the financial problems arising from the plan’s results and ensure the uninterrupted operation of the historic theatres.The letter outlines the historical background of the case from the perspective of the affected theatre groups. Despite the Ministry of Finance approving a 30% increase in the available budget for theatrical creation and warnings that the plan would be disastrous for the entire theatrical community, the Ministry of Culture’s persistence led to the matter being taken to the Parliament’s Education Committee.The Federation informed the Committee of its decision not to participate in the application process, citing all the reasons. Eventually, after the General Director of the Ministry of Culture’s plea and assurances that there was no real danger to the sustainability of the theatres, they reluctantly submitted their applications.However, the results have now led both theatres and numerous artists and other theatre workers into unemployment. Theatrical organizations whose productions have been approved must inform the Ministry in writing whether they accept or reject the sponsorship by January 22, 2024.
