The Teatro alla Scala and Teatro Regio di Torino are supporting the workers at the Teatro La Fenice after they said they would go on a permanent strike.

In a letter, the Teatro alla Scala said, it “expressed full and sincere solidarity with our colleagues at the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice, who are currently carrying out their protest with determination and courage against the appointment of the Music Director, which was made without transparency.”

The Milan theater added, “Opera houses are common goods, the heritage of the community, built over time thanks to the work of artists, technicians, and craftsmen. The choices that shape the future of such important institutions must arise from dialogue and respect for internal expertise, not from decisions imposed by logics unrelated to art and culture. Under these conditions, it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to build the relationship of trust and artistic harmony that is the essential prerequisite for any authentic cultural project.”

The Teatro Regio di Torino noted, “The RSU delegation of the Teatro Regio in Turin expresses its full solidarity with the workers of the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice, who have recently been openly protesting the appointment of director Beatrice Venezi. This appointment was imposed from above, without consultation, and is in direct conflict with the internal professionalism and the very dignity of those who daily build the theater’s artistic identity.”

The Torino theater added, “We are convinced that culture, if it is to remain alive, cannot be reduced to a stage to please the powers that be. Instead, it must return to being a critical, open, and dialoguing place. And this can only happen if workers—the true guardians of the continuity and identity of institutions—are listened to and respected.”

The statements come after the Teatro La Fenice workers noted that they would go on a permanent strike following the appointment of Beatrice Venzi, who is known for having a close relationship with the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government.