Europe’s theaters close due to rising electricity prices

“It will have a significant impact on the mental state of society”

The energy crisis continues to hit all areas of European life. Rising electricity prices are forcing people to save heavily and businesses to shut down. Against this background, Europe is trying in every possible way to cope with the problems that have arisen. For example, in Brussels there was an action during which restaurants prepared dishes without the use of electrical appliances. This experience can be called positive, although rather depressing. But the situation in Hungary, where theaters across the country are closing, makes us seriously worry not only about the cultural life of the state, but also about the mental health of people.

The 111-year-old Erkel Opera House in Budapest will close in November, reports the Associated Press. This decision was made by the managers of the cultural institution in connection with the rapid rise in prices for utilities, due to which the payment for heating the hall for 1800 seats turned out to be unaffordable.

“We had to decide how we could save money,” director of the Hungarian State Opera Sylvester Okovacs told AP. “Although it hurts to make the decision to close Erkel for a few months, it is perfectly rational,” he added. The accounts of the institution, according to the director of the opera house, have become eight, and sometimes ten times more expensive. It was important to take this decision, because otherwise employees who would find it difficult to pay salaries would suffer.

The temporary closure of the Erkel Theater is just one of the cases in which Hungary’s cultural institutions are struggling to stay afloat as high inflation, a weakening currency and energy costs take a toll.

The country’s government declared an “energy emergency” in July in response to rising prices and supply disruptions. The popular utility subsidy program, which has kept Hungarians’ bills among the lowest in the European Union since 2014, has also been cut. The suspension of this program has resulted in many businesses and households facing skyrocketing gas and electricity bills. From month to month, this figure increased and began to amount to 1000%.

In an effort to curb energy consumption, the government has ordered the use of electricity and natural gas in public buildings, including cultural centers, to be cut by 25% and indoor temperatures kept at around 18 degrees Celsius.

Beata Barda, director of the Trafo House of Contemporary Art in Budapest, noted that electricity bills at her theater have tripled since June. She claims there is an “uncertainty factor” in what bills they might get this winter. To cut costs, the decision was made to stage about two-thirds of the usual winter program, to insulate parts of the building that did not need to be heated, and to reduce the frequency of rehearsals that required full stage lighting.

With inflation nearly 16% in Hungary and the national currency reaching historic lows against the dollar and the euro, households are also struggling with rising prices. It is not difficult to guess that in such a difficult situation, visits to cultural centers will inevitably decrease, which will lead to financial problems in this area. “Our audience also has wallets, their expenses have also increased. To what extent are they willing or able to come to the theatre? This is a really important question,” says Beata Barda.

But the problem affected not only these two theaters. One of the oldest comedy theaters in Budapest already regularly turns off the lights in the building’s decorative lobby and corridors, including on weekdays. The gas bill for the 130,000-square-foot theater has gone from 40 million HUF a year to 250 million, almost six times that amount.

The problems faced by theaters in Hungary are not limited to the capital. Local governments across the country have announced that theaters, cinemas, museums and other cultural institutions must close for the winter. As the energy crisis deepens, more theaters will have to close not just for the winter, but forever. This causes concern among cultural figures of the country. According to Kristina Szekely, director of the Caton Jozsef Theater in Budapest, the closure will have a negative impact on the cultural life of Hungarians. “I believe that if these institutions fail or are not available, it will have a significant impact on the mental state of society,” she concluded.