The Metropolis Theater sold about 2,200 tickets in 2021 and gave away 53,934 for free, with an average income of 1750 lei / show, according to a press release sent by the Capital City Hall. The theater is subsidized by the Capital City Hall and received in 2020 from the institution about 8.1 million lei, and in 2021 it will receive about 10 million lei. The Metropolis Theater is not closing, the Capital City Hall said.
Metropolis TheaterPhoto: Metropolis Theater
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The information was sent by the Capital City Hall in the conditions in which the employees of the theater recently sent an open letter to the municipality stating that they can no longer continue their artistic activity because their salaries have not been paid. At the same time, the Capital City Hall started evaluating the managers of the theaters it subsidizes.
- “The number of tickets sold is small compared to the non-paying beneficiaries. In 2021, the Metropolis Theater sold 2,170 tickets throughout the year. This, given that it had at its disposal 4 performance halls which, in total, have 750 seats. At the same time, the theater reported, in addition to the 2,170 tickets, a number of 53,934 non-paying beneficiaries. In connection with these, the theater did not present any data as measured and there is no clear mechanism for quantifying these persons.
- A budget calculation shows that out of the 9,260,000 lei spent and 2,170 tickets sold in 2021, the cost per paying beneficiary is 4,267 lei. In other words, for each spectator who bought a ticket of 35 lei, the theater spent 4,267 lei. ”, It is shown in the communiqué sent by the Capital City Hall.
The argument that the theater did not meet its proposed revenue targets due to the pandemic is not a valid one, said the representatives of the Capital City Hall.
“On equal terms, other theaters in Bucharest with a smaller number of seats available, with fewer performances in the repertoire, with less notoriety, have achieved ticket revenues 10 times higher than the Metropolis Theater,” the statement reads. transmitted by the municipality.
The costs for a show, which emerges from the theater’s reports, are very high, the statement said. Thus, the theater spent to present the 40 shows that belong to it the amount of 8,158,165, respectively, the budget allocated by PMB for 2021, over which it also made debts of 1.1 million lei, according to the quoted source.
“A mathematical calculation shows that: 9,260,000 lei divided into 40 shows is equal to 231,500 lei expenses per show. On the other hand, the theater had an average income per show of 1750 lei. Therefore, in strictly budgetary terms, the theater spent an average of 46,000 euros on each show and collected 350 euros in return “, it is shown in the communiqué sent by the Capital City Hall.
The management of the theater allocated enormous sums to some theater productions, in the conditions in which it did not fulfill its proposed income targets, say the representatives of the institution.
“Last year, the Metropolis Theater spent 265,117 lei on the production of a show starring 3 well-known actors and a young actress. The fees paid to these actors for rehearsals were 64,490 lei, the fee for the 9 shows played was 58,047 lei and the premiere fee was 6,443 lei. Basically, in a pandemic year, the theater decided to spend an enormous amount, which could not be covered from the proposed revenues “, the Capital City Hall also announced.
Another discovery made by the representatives of the Capital City Hall is that the revenues of the shows played online went to third parties who sold the tickets and not in the theater’s budget.
“The note sent by the manager of the Metropolis Theater on April 5 shows that three online shows were played with great success, 406 tickets were sold, and the amount collected was 12,992 lei. At the same time, the information publicly communicated by the collaborating actors shows that 3,700 tickets were sold for a single show, which at the value of 35 lei per ticket means 129,500 lei. Basically, from a single show, a private person who sold the theater tickets received 10 times more than the institution managed for 3 performances played ”, it is shown in the communiqué sent by the municipality.
Regarding the debts accumulated by the theater and the fact that the salaries / fees of the artists and the closing of the theater were not paid, the Capital City Hall communicated the following:
- The Metropolis Theater does not close. This year’s budget allocation is 10 million lei (respectively 2 million euros) which are enough to pay operating expenses, salaries and outstanding debts.
- The debts of the Metropolis Theater were not communicated to the Bucharest City Hall. On December 31, 2021, the Metropolis Theater did not register any debt or, at least, did not communicate it to the Bucharest City Hall. In the PMB’s accounting records, the theater appeared on February 28, 2022 with a budget surplus of 20,000 lei.
- Bucharest City Hall found out about the debts of the Metropolis Theater in the amount of 1.1 million lei before the evaluation of the institution’s director, George Ivașcu.
- The debts to the artists are currently 483,292.10 lei, according to a report sent by the manager of the institution on April 5, 2022. To these are added debts to the collaborators of Ziar Metropolis of 22,504 lei. In total, the debts to the collaborating artists amount to approximately 500 thousand lei and not 600 thousand lei, as some collaborators of the theater have speculated, in the public space.
- This debt should not have existed if the theater had reached its proposed revenue targets for 2021. In the report submitted, the theater assumed that it would obtain, according to the budget projection, its own revenues amounting to 900,000 lei. In reality, according to its own statements, the institution generated its own revenues in 2021 in the amount of 491,164 lei. Therefore, the theater achieved lower revenues by 408,836 lei, an amount that is close to the debt accumulated by the theater for the payment of collaborating artists.
- In other words, the theater spent some money that it did not have, but that it said it would make. When he did not do it, he accused the Capital City Hall of leaving the institution without money and of not being able to pay his collaborating artists. Such an approach is not correct, given that the situation was generated by the theater administration and not by the PMB.
The City Hall’s goal is to gradually eliminate invitations to state theaters
The representatives of the Capital City Hall say that they will continue to support the theaters, but they demand a better management of the public money.
“In this sense, an evaluation of the managers of the cultural institutions subordinated to PMB is currently taking place. This assessment is a transparent one, being transmitted online, where the managers have given their prior consent. (…) The objective of the PMB is to gradually eliminate invitations to state theaters. The Capital City Hall continues to support the need to have a low ticket price, respectively a low price for low-income audiences. At the same time, PMB wants to discourage the habit of gratuity, because this distorts the cultural market and generates unfair competition to independent theaters “, it is shown in the communiqué sent by the Capital City Hall.
The employees of the Metropolis theater blame the management of the Capital City Hall
In an open letter signed by the employees and collaborators of the theater, they point out that the cultural institution can no longer continue its artistic activity because debts of over 600,000 lei have been collected to pay salaries / fees.
“Metropolis” Youth Theater, the first and most important theater of projects, is today unable to sustain its artistic activity. This situation has generated in the public space all kinds of unfounded accusations to which, out of respect for the spectators, we are obliged to answer. The first false statement is that the Youth Theater “Metropolis” can continue its activity after the budget for 2022 by the General Council of Bucharest. In reality, at the end of 2021, the “Metropolis” Youth Theater had a debt of 626,079.48 lei, generated by the basic activity (artists, production, copyright and related rights, collaborators, etc.), the remaining 489,262.90 lei being to other entities related to the current activity. So, a total of 1,115,342, 38, at the end of 2021 “, it is shown in the open letter.
They accuse that the debt is generated by the management of the Bucharest City Hall, which did not respect the budget approved by the General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest in 2021.
“The City Hall is aware of this debt, which emerges from the monthly reports that the theater makes, obligatorily, to the Economic Department of the Bucharest City Hall, which is subordinated to the Mayor General. In 2022, out of the allocated budget of 1,100,000 lei for projects, the “Metropolis” Youth Theater must, first of all, pay the accumulated debt from 2021-2022. In conclusion, this financial situation puts us in the factual inability to support more shows this season “, the letter states.
Theater managers, evaluated by the Capital City Hall
The general mayor of the Capital, Nicușor Dan, announced on his Facebook page that between April 6 and 12 there will be evaluations of the directors of the cultural institutions subordinated to the Capital City Hall (theaters, museums, libraries and other such institutions).
“The evaluations start today with the managers of the Constantin Tănase Magazine Theater, the Comedy Theater, the Țăndărică Theater and the Metropolis Theater. I proposed that the evaluations be online for transparency, but not all managers agreed. For the evaluations that are broadcast online, enter here: https://www.pmb.ro/transmisie-live.
The interviews with the directors of the Ion Creanga Theater, the Mask Theater, the Small Theater and the Odeon Theater took place on April 7.
“These interviews were broadcast live on the General City Hall website (when the principals agreed), and the recordings will be posted on the site. The evaluation of theater directors is done by a commission composed of specialists in the field and representatives of PMB. The specialists in the commission are Bogdana Darie-Creţu, Adrian Neacșu, Dan Cristi Cogălniceanu, Costel Cașcaval, Șerban Puiu, Alexandru Boureanu, Alexandru Berceanu and Anca Sigartău, so people of theater and film with notoriety and recognized results. The commission also includes, as representatives from the mayor’s office, Diana Punga (public administrator), Liliana Fedorca (director of the Department of Culture, Education, Tourism) and Andrei Rizea (from the Economic Department). I specify that the grading of the managers is done both on the basis of the activity reports and on the basis of the sustained interviews. Both things are important and both count for the grade obtained “, Nicușor Dan communicated on April 7.
Marius Manole: Little Dan, aren’t you ashamed?
Actor Marius Manole wrote on his Facebook page that Liliana Maria Toderiuc-Fedorca and Diana Punga have no expertise in the field of culture.
“Shame on you, Diana Pungă, Liliana Maria Toderiuc-Fedorca. It is embarrassing that two newcomers came to control the culture in Bucharest. A mathematics teacher member of PNL, former member of ALDE and Mrs. Pungă former head of campaign of Nicușor Dan without any expertise in the field of culture. This is the “efficient” management promised by Nicușor Dan. You didn’t call me on election day … you were desperate that Nature was over you .. I voted for you, I begged others to do it and now I’m ashamed. I greeeeeeeeesit! Next time, call Mrs. Punga and Mrs. Fedorca to help you become mayor. Aren’t you ashamed? ”Marius Manole wrote on his Facebook page.
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