Humanity has weathered so many incredible storms since the very birth of theatre! We’ve made it through wars, epidemics, and dictatorships of every kind, and yet our beloved theatre has survived through it all! Sometimes it took a brief, quiet pause, and other times it stubbornly refused to stop. None of this is brand new, of course—it was just the same during Shakespeare’s time, through the dark days of the Nazi occupation, or during the Bosnian War.

March 27th is World Theatre Day! It is a beautiful tradition that the message penned by a great theatre personality for this occasion is read aloud in theatres and arts magazines all over the world, celebrating the magical, sometimes hidden power of this wonderful art. Today, we feel a joyful urgency to share our own special message, turning the spotlight onto the situation of our brave independent cultural sector.

Reactor is a vibrant space that, over 7 active years, has felt the thrilling responsibility of offering creative homes and working contexts for dozens of theatre artists. It might seem like a wild dream, but that's exactly where it all started: from the sheer joy of needing to create, and the simple truth that we cannot have a lively cultural life without dedicated cultural spaces!

It’s already been a year in which the most magical aspect of theatre—that it is created together to be enjoyed together—has been put on hold. Yet, those precious, delightful moments when we did manage to see each other face-to-face were so wonderfully intense! They reminded us that sharing experiences is truly what defines us as social, emotional beings, and citizens. Oh, how we miss that unique spark born from these live encounters—the shared sensations, laughter, emotions, and thoughts!

The pandemic we are still navigating (and whose end we won’t try to predict to keep our spirits high!) has taught us a few extra lessons. We feel a moral calling to share them with you. We share them with a passionate plea, as a call for help, and above all, as a warm invitation to stand in solidarity with us.

This past year has taught us just how fragile the comforts we took for granted really are. How easily we can lose our footing in an urban world so focused on easy conveniences! Our cities and homes became merely places where we slept. We felt incredibly lucky to have a roof over our heads, and many of us realized, with deep gratitude, just how precious this privilege is. We might have felt the unease of living in constant transition. We felt lonely, but we happily regrouped online whenever we could—just to keep our connections glowing and warm.

We have thought a lot about work, its value, and the sometimes puzzling ways different professions are appreciated. Artists—especially independent ones—still have to keep calling out cheerfully but firmly: "Art is real work!" until everyone hears us. Our hard work has often been made invisible, which deeply affects us as individuals and citizens. We passionately believe this also leaves a gap in society. Lately, there has been much more buzz about opening shopping malls and churches than about reopening our beloved theatres, which certainly tells an interesting story about our times!

Over the years, we’ve watched cultural spaces in big cities bloom, live in temporary arrangements, and sadly fade away. We’ve navigated risks at every turn, but this uncertainty has actually taught us to collaborate even more closely and support one another. This year, however, even the most secure foundations we had seem a bit shaky.

Beyond the lovely promises and warm attitudes of the authorities, the hard numbers tell the real story. If in 2019 our income came 50% from AFCN, 12% from City Hall and Local Council projects, 14% from sponsorships and donations, 14% from ticket sales, and 10% from festivals or private events, by 2020 things shifted dramatically, with AFCN generously covering 75% of our budget! The rest of our funding looked like this: 12% from City Hall and Local Council projects, 5% from ticket sales, 5% from festivals and private events, and 3% from sponsorships and donations. Looking ahead to 2021, projecting budgets is quite an adventure! Our confirmed budget for this year consists only of projects won through AFCN in the Autumn 2020 session, with contracts still waiting to be signed. In this situation, our Association has been running since the start of 2021 solely on working capital. At a time when we are more dependent than ever, and funding sources are shrinking, the one institution whose support was always predictable—AFCN—has delayed its project call for Session II/2021. Along with this delay, this is the first year where restructuring limits organizations to a maximum of 2 projects, restricting access to multi-annual funding for those who already have an active multi-annual project. Under current rules, an AFCN project can only cover our venue rent for a single month! What do we do with the remaining months? In past years, local funding from City Hall helped us bridge those gaps. This year, however, is the first time City Hall hasn't launched a funding call at the start of the year. It's also the first year we have to project ticket revenues at zero. Dear authorities, we invite you to do the math and see how our financial picture looks! And if the equation seems too tricky, we are sure a helpful public stance will follow. All these measures make it tough for a mid-sized organization like Reactor to grow or even keep our heads above water—a common story in a sector where growth can feel like an uphill battle. Constantly underfunded, independent cultural organizations are kept forever in the "rookie" category. Those who make art often have to juggle their creative passions with other jobs just to make ends meet. How many independent organizations have crossed the 10-year milestone? What funding structures exist for organizations that consistently run projects and support over 50 independent artists? Where can we turn for help?

We want to share with you that we are (still) here, and we are ready for action, not just words! We want to remind you that we will never stop being here to experiment with beautiful, possible utopias. We are absolutely sure that theatre itself will never die, even if we are a bit uncertain about our own immediate future. We remain wonderfully hopeful that when the pandemic is over, we will all gather together again at Reactor for those magical moments that make us feel truly connected!

As we navigate this new era, please never forget the incredible, resilient power of theatre to survive, preserve itself, and spread joy among people. And please, never forget the passionate people who bring it to life for you!

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