Ópera de Oviedo Rails Against Spanish Government’s Distribution of Aid to Theaters
By David SalazarThe Ópera de Oviedo has openly stated its “disappointment” with the distribution of public aid to Spanish Theaters by the Ministry of Culture.
The company noted that aid was handed out disproportionately with the Ópera de Oviedo receiving 408,750 euros, compared to ABAO which received double that amount (817,500 euros). ABAO also received 200,000 euros more than what had originally been awarded, thanks to a last-minute negotiation between the PSOE and the PNV regarding the General State Budgets.
The Ópera de Oviedo emphasized the unfairness of this financial aid by noting that while the ABAO canceled four of five productions and only presented seven total performances, Oviedo’s company managed to present all 27 of its projected showcases during 2020-21.
Finally, Ópera de Oviedo pointed to the fact that the general state budget assigns 12.3 million euros to the Teatro Real de Madrid, 8.3 million euros, plus an additional aid of one million, to the Gran Teatre del Liceu, one million euros to the Palau De Les Arts; and 2.25 million euros to the Teatro De La Maestranza, making the Ópera de Oviedo vastly underserved in comparison.