by Lala Panait
The situation of Italian cultural institutions became more and more troubled after 2010 when the Italian Theatres’ Association was dissolved by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giulio Tremonti. On top of that, the budget for cultural activities shrunk down to 0.3 % of the state’s overall budget, which determined the creation of the Zero Point Three (0.3) movement: they started to organize flash-mobs in prominent theaters and protest against the Government’s decisions. Another issue of public outcry came with the Water Referendum, through which the Government tried to privatize water resources.
As a reaction to these measures, on the evening between 13th and 14th of June 2011 approximately sixty artists decided to blow the whistle and occupy Teatro di Valle – one of the longest-standing theatres in Rome – before it would be shut down. Initially, the occupation was conceived as a symbolic one as it was not planned to last for more than three days. To everyone’s surprise, the occupiers ended up living for more than a year and a half inside the theatre: and today you can still find them there. One of the ingredients for success was the constant contact with the outside world: they have kept in touch with the press, with the theatre’s audience, with the inhabitants of Rome, but also with cultural activists outside of Italy. More than that, TVO has turned into a model for other cities such as Milan, Naples, Palermo, Catania, Messina, where similar actions have taken place. Now, Teatro di Valle is a space occupied by artists, but whose utility-costs are bore by the Roman City Hall. Basically it is a space occupied illegally, but with the tacit agreement of local authorities.
Here, various artists can come up with ideas for workshops, shows, debates, presentations, theatre projects and film-screenings. In this way, TVO has become a citizens’ teatro, a space for public debates, ideas and action. The reasons why TVO define themselves as a novel occupy-action is the mixt nature of the group, as well as their endorsement of commons and self-government. Although in Italy it is considered illegal, throughout this period TVO have received numerous international prizes for its self-government model. At the moment, TVO are trying to apply the concept of Fondazione (Foundation) – a juridical status that would allow them to continue their project legally, while preserving its element of solidarity based on donations.
