The municipal government of Alcoy has expressed its displeasure over the paralysis of the Teatre Principal's renovation, following cuts by the Generalitat Valenciana. Of the 450,000 euros initially committed during the previous Consell's term, the allocation has been reduced to 250,000 euros in the 2025 budget draft, a figure the City Council deems insufficient to carry out the necessary works.
The problem is not only economic. According to municipal representatives, the Generalitat intends to manage the funds as a subsidy, requiring the works to be tendered, executed, and justified before November 15. With regional budgets still unapproved and typical administrative deadlines, this condition makes the project practically impossible.
“"The local government is "angry and offended."
The situation is particularly serious because the Teatre Principal has been without stable programming for over eight years. Since March 2018, the space has only hosted occasional activities and specific performances, such as the Betlem de Tirisiti and some functions of the Mostra de Teatre. The closure was initially justified by the need to adapt the theater's management to new legislation and to use the period for essential reforms such as air conditioning, accessibility, safety, and a fire curtain.
This situation is particularly painful in Alcoy, a city that has historically been one of the theatrical capitals of the Valencian Country. Currently, Alcoy only has the Teatre Calderón as a large stable scenic space, whose comprehensive renovation, also promoted by the Generalitat Valenciana years ago, allowed for the recovery of an emblematic space and its transformation into a benchmark for Valencian theatrical programming.
“"A town without a theater is a town without mirrors."
The cut to the Principal symbolizes an increasingly residual cultural policy, according to the sector. Many Valencian cultural professionals have warned in recent years about the reduction of resources allocated to culture, while regional budgets progressively relegate cultural investments. Culture, they affirm, is defended with money, programming, infrastructure, and political will, not with empty speeches.
