PRESS RELEASE

Tirana, on 26. 09. 2020

While we eagerly await the day when with the first show we inaugurate the reconstructed premises, brought out of many years of oblivion, the Ministry of Culture invites the public opinion and the community of artists to turn their attention to facts and truths tangible of the National Theater of Opera and Ballet, avoiding disinformation and unfounded conjectures, even fictions, about a future of TKOBAP outside the structures of the Ministry of Culture.

The National Theater of Opera and Ballet is not only one of the most prestigious public institutions, but also a leader in artistic life in the country.

Requests and problems expressed from time to time both at the institutional level, by theater companies, and by the wider community of artists, have pointed out the need to research successful models, for the increase of financial capacities, simultaneously with the increase of the standards of artistic activity and productions of all genres.

On the other hand, one of the missions of the Ministry of Culture is the encouragement and promotion of new talents. Despite the continuous efforts over the years of the leaders of this institution, to include talented young people in their productions, this has been difficult, precisely due to the lack of income and limited structures.

Supporting new talents and increasing competition is a healthy aspect, which would directly contribute to the increase of the artistic quality of the institution.

The aim of the Ministry of Culture is for the TKOBAP scene to return to the artistic pole of reference, not only for the Albanian-speaking area, but also for the countries of the region.

The time had come for a radical change to take place in the opera house. We started our journey with investments in infrastructure, to have a theater worthy of the name it bears, that of the National Theater of Opera, Ballet and Popular Ensemble.

We continued with the review of the legal and economic framework of reduced rates and prices for different social categories.

The financial benefits that the national art “house” should benefit from, require further revisions of the legal framework, which will enable self-generated funds to remain in the Theater’s coffers, at the service of artists and artistic quality.

The most successful models of European national theaters are being taken as reference examples, in order to have as complete a framework as possible of sustainable schemes.

Currently, the revenues generated both from tickets and from the short-term use of the Theater’s premises go to the extent of 70% to the state coffers and only 30% to TKOBAP.

The pandemic, this great global crisis, set new challenges, but highlighted even more strongly, the key role that the state has in the management schemes of theaters around the world.

The Ministry has remained and will always remain an institution with open doors for constructive debate and always distanced itself from disinformation and misinterpretation of facts.