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- Ελληνικά
The Deputy Ministry of Culture announces that, following a series of meetings and contacts held by the Deputy Minister of Culture Dr, in order to provide the means for the realization of as many theatrical productions as possible for the first half of 2024, as well as to support theatres that retain a home, it is taking the following actions:
- Thumeli Project
With regard to the Thumeli Project 2024 - 1st semester, within the budgetary possibilities and newly defined procedures, it allocates an additional amount of €170.000, which will be allocated proportionally to all theatre productions approved for grants. The allocation is proportional and based on the score each proposal received from the five-member evaluation committee.
It should be noted that the increase in the total budget between the first half of the Thymeli 2024 Plan and the first half of the 2023 Plan was 18%. With this additional increase of €170,000, the percentage increase,compared to that of the first half of 2023 and the corresponding 2024, amounts to 50%.
The link here lists the final amounts of the theatre production and tour sponsorships (where applicable) that will be made available for the first half of 2024.
Regarding the second half of the Thymeli Plan, it is noted that the Ministry of State will continue its constructive meetings with theatre bodies, guilds and parliamentary parties, in an effort to arrive at provisions that will meet the needs of the actors in the field as much as possible. The intention of the Ministry of State is to submit the final text of the Plan in February for public consultation on productions for the next six months.
It is stated that the Ministry of State does not intend to make any changes to the philosophy of the Thymeli Plan, which aims to evaluate and reward the highest quality theatrical productions through transparent procedures. As has become clear during the consultations, this is a position shared by the majority of the theatre operators.
- Plan for Covering Operational Needs of Theatrical Institutions
Taking into account the problems faced by theatres with roofs, the Ministry of State has prepared a new Plan for Covering Operational Costs for 2024.
The new Plan provides for a doubling of the available funding ceiling for theatres with roofs to €40,000 from €20.The Plan covers 80% of eligible costs compared to the provision of the previous Plan which covered 60%.
It is worth noting that until last year the operating costs of theatres with a roof had to be included in the costs of the production receiving a grant from the Thymeli Plan, whereas from this year they are covered by a separate plan.
It is worth noting that until last year the operating costs of theatres with a roof had to be included in the costs of the production receiving a grant from the Thymeli Plan, whereas from this year they are covered by a separate plan. This means that the amount received by each operator for proposals approved by that Plan can - and must - be used entirely for the realisation of the production.
It should also be noted that the revised Operational Expenditure Coverage Plan differentiates the eligible categories of expenditure, such as increasing the number of people who can be employed from one to two and the number of tasks they can undertake (cashier, administrator, stage technician, cleaning staff). In addition, eligible costs include, in addition to rent, utilities and the cost of insurance cover.
These increases for this year are carried out within the budgetary possibilities of the Ministry of State for Culture with the intention of re-evaluating the Plan next year on the basis of the new budget data.
The revised Operating Expenditure Coverage Plan and the application form can be found at www.culture.gov.cy/sxedia .
The deadline for applications for the new Plan is 1/31/2024.
It is stressed that the Ministry of State has no intention of making piecemeal grants to individual theatre organisations, as has been the case in the past, which - as has become apparent - relate to a temporary and unsustainable solution to the issues facing the sector, while at the same time not assessing the needs and problems of all the organisations equally and equitably.
As several stakeholders have already been informed during meetings with the Ministry of State, at this stage the Ministry of State is undertaking a comprehensive strategic plan, which includes, among other things, ways of addressing the chronic issues of the theatre sector, with the aim of creating a healthy ecosystem conducive to sustainability. Among the actions in this strategic plan are actions towards securing collective agreements for the payment of salaries and benefits to actors, audience development in theatres through campaigns and ticket subsidies in order to contribute to the increase in theatres' revenues.
Additional grant schemes for theatre
At the same time, the Ministry of State wishes to reiterate that further grant schemes are underway to support the theatre sector, such as the Cultural Decentralisation Scheme and the Scheme for Covering the Costs of Promotion, Communication and International Networking of Cultural Institutions. The Ministry of State has also received over 450 proposals in the Culture II Programme and the evaluation process has already begun. The amount allocated to this programme covers a wide range of cultural activities (music, dance, literature, visual arts, etc.)
The Ministry of State reiterates that its intention is to cooperate with the theatrical institutions and to support them, within its capabilities, with the ultimate aim of developing the theatrical sector of our country and promoting culture.
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