Teatro Colon closes: temporary or permanent?

[sergio]

‘It will not be the same’ – Teatro Colón lowers curtain for coronavirus

Pandemic has brought down the curtain at capital’s famed and mythical theatre for the second time in almost a century of existence.

www.batimes.com.ar

 

[gracielle]

‘It will not be the same’ – Teatro Colón lowers curtain for coronavirus

Pandemic has brought down the curtain at capital’s famed and mythical theatre for the second time in almost a century of existence.

www.batimes.com.ar

Temporarily...as the article states:
A new Colón
Since its inauguration in 1908, the Colón "has only closed down once [for its centenary in 2008] to remodel," the theatre’s director María Victoria Alcaraz tells AFP. But with the pandemic, its future "is a challenge requiring an open, creative and flexible mind." "There is no doubt it will not be the same," she agrees. ....She imagines a first stage of performances delivered online via the Internet and then a return to the theatre "with [social] distancing and less public.".....Closure has also brought about financial problems due to the reimbursement of season ticket subscriptions which the public had acquired up to a year ahead.

 

[sergio]

Classical music, opera and ballet are not likely to be considered priorities of a populist government. Even if they were, the country's financial condition would make it difficult to continue operations. The Teatro Argentino de la Plata, a beautiful venue, has been moribund for quite some time,

 

[jantango]

Somewhere in the world there is a philanthropist who will hear about the financial situation of Teatro Colon and come to the rescue. The cultural arts are what make this city so outstanding, and they will continue when donors step forward. I have no doubt that Martha Argerich and Daniel Baremboin have put out the word in Europe that their beloved Teatro Colon needs help.

 

[sergio]

Somewhere in the world there is a philanthropist who will hear about the financial situation of Teatro Colon and come to the rescue. The cultural arts are what make this city so outstanding, and they will continue when donors step forward. I have no doubt that Martha Argerich and Daniel Baremboin have put out the word in Europe that their beloved Teatro Colon needs help.

I agree with your sentiments regarding the importance of the arts. I hope that you are right. European countries subsidize the arts. I don't known that there is much individual philanthropy as there is in the US however,

 

[Ries]

Classical music, opera and ballet are not likely to be considered priorities of a populist government. Even if they were, the country's financial condition would make it difficult to continue operations. The Teatro Argentino de la Plata, a beautiful venue, has been moribund for quite some time,

Thats pretty funny, since the reality is the opposite- The K government funded a LOT of classical music, while Macri shut it down, along with any other cultural, educational, or artistic programs he could get away with.

Colon is a very unusual example- it is widely loved by the Argentine public, and nobody will put up with any government not supporting it. I know a wide range of Argentines who have had season tickets for years and years- not snooty rich people, either. Opera and Classical music is not a polarizing thing in Argentina, unlike in other countries- I know a lot of pop, punk, jazz, and electronic musicians here who all learned classical first, and consider it equal to, not superior or inferior, to other styles.

So my predicition is that yes, Colon will come back.

 

[Ries]

Thats pretty funny, since the reality is the opposite- The K government funded a LOT of classical music, while Macri shut it down, along with any other cultural, educational, or artistic programs he could get away with.

Colon is a very unusual example- it is widely loved by the Argentine public, and nobody will put up with any government not supporting it. I know a wide range of Argentines who have had season tickets for years and years- not snooty rich people, either. I have a friend who went all the time to the Opera- and who also was in Cemento to see Sumo play, and still goes to see loud rock bands all the time, even though he is in his late 60s. Opera and Classical music is not a polarizing thing in Argentina, unlike in other countries- I know a lot of pop, punk, jazz, and electronic musicians here who all learned classical first, and consider it equal to, not superior or inferior, to other styles.

So my predicition is that yes, Colon will come back.

 

[sergio]

I know that Macri did not care about supporting the classical arts but I didn't know that he had shut down performances. I attended a number at the Colon during the Macri years. I remember too attending orchestra concerts at the Centro Cultural Kirchner during his administration. I am glad to hear the government is going to support the Colon. I assume this means it will not be popularized but will remain a venue for classical performances. Hopefully it will not go the way of the Teatro Argentino de la Plata which had been in a serious decline before the virus.

 

[Ries]

Macri slashed budgets, fired employees, and conducted aggressive "fire inspections" at performance venues around town. He did not specifically cancel performances at Colon. Nothing ever has, except for remodelling, when they put on performances in La Plata, instead, and many argentines, including several friends of mine, went to La Plata regularly on their Colon season tickets. But this government did not single out Colon, all venues are closed. Do they hate Jazz, and Film, and Punk Rock, too? Because those venues are all closed too.

That said- I dont KNOW that Colon will reopen- nobody does.
We certainly dont know what will happen nationally or globally.
How big will the pandemic get, especially in brazil and other south american countries?
How bad will the depression be, and how long will it last?

Nobody knows.

I am merely stating that the conservative politicians in Argentina have, traditionally, supported the arts and culture and education much less than the peronists and K.
So assuming we had a government, an economy, and living humans, the odds are that Colon will be considered a national treasure, and supported by the current administration, IF we ever come out the other side of this.

 

[sergio]

Macri slashed budgets, fired employees, and conducted aggressive "fire inspections" at performance venues around town. He did not specifically cancel performances at Colon. Nothing ever has, except for remodelling, when they put on performances in La Plata, instead, and many argentines, including several friends of mine, went to La Plata regularly on their Colon season tickets. But this government did not single out Colon, all venues are closed. Do they hate Jazz, and Film, and Punk Rock, too? Because those venues are all closed too.

That said- I dont KNOW that Colon will reopen- nobody does.
We certainly dont know what will happen nationally or globally.
How big will the pandemic get, especially in brazil and other south american countries?
How bad will the depression be, and how long will it last?

Nobody knows.

I am merely stating that the conservative politicians in Argentina have, traditionally, supported the arts and culture and education much less than the peronists and K.
So assuming we had a government, an economy, and living humans, the odds are that Colon will be considered a national treasure, and supported by the current administration, IF we ever come out the other side of this.

Nice to know. The Teatro Argentino however was on the decline before Macri.