Blanca Lee denies “censorship or political interference” and blames “inflation” for Paco Bezerra’s absence.

“Everything was a misunderstanding”, “I never refused to talk to anyone”, “I’m very happy to continue to command this ship”, “The theater is going better than ever”, “We did an incredible job, Madrid. He did an amazing job. It’s wonderful. We were unique in the world,” “I will reach the end of my term, which is in June next year.” Canal Teatros del Canal director Blanca Lee made a triumphant speech to the press this Friday to explain her involvement in the Paco Bezera case, although the call was presented in the media as Annual balance of theaters.

Blanca Lee offered an appearance without self-criticism towards her management during these almost six months of crisis that arose after the cancellation of the production. I’m dying because I’m not dying From the 2022-2023 program, which the author and political opposition interpreted as “censorship” and “political interference” in the transfer of the artistic center by the government of the Community of Madrid.

Lee supported the clarifications given by the Ministry of Culture from the beginning: “No work is programmed in these theaters until it is approved by the Board of Directors of Culture and Tourism of Madrid, where the programming and its budget will be evaluated.” said of a council composed entirely of political officials. “I liked Paco’s project, but then the council had to evaluate it. If it is necessary to make a cut, the board will decide. They focused on co-production and five proposals were cancelled. And what I said is that I totally agree. I said it sounded perfect and made the decision. If I wanted to change it, I would do so,” he said, Gonzalo Cabrera, director general of cultural promotion at the Madrid Assembly’s culture committee, said.

The choreographer confirmed that it is categorically false that “there was any kind of censorship or political interference in the theater’s programs” in the Teatro del Channel. “The decision to make changes to this season’s program was not based on the fact that the program was poorly designed, but due to economic reasons caused by the increase in inflation. Anyone who follows this theater knows that we are open to all discourses. I would never accept ideological reasons to suppress a work. I’m Blanca Lee, I’m a creator, and I couldn’t accept that, I would go, get up in the morning and pick up my suitcase,” he said.

Allegations of threats and harassment

“I don’t work with threats when I’m harassed on the networks,” said Blanca Li, referring to the playwright Paco Bezerra. “I have received over 5,000 in recent months post Insults, most of them with montages of my face, mostly posted by Paco Bezerra. Words have been used very well to organize a movement based on lies. Bezera never wanted to understand or accept the explanations we gave him,” he said, later adding that “he’s always” been a “staunch defender of creative freedom and artists’ creativity.”

“What happened to Bezera happens to any artist,” the director continued. “Such things happen regularly to artists. It is common that after two years of negotiations, the project cannot be implemented due to economic reasons. This is what we artists know happens, perhaps Bezera still has no experience or has not been to that many theaters. Of course, I never told Bezerra that his work was being censored, although I did tell him that his work would not be scheduled for the next season. He wanted me to give him dates for the upcoming season when I couldn’t because it wasn’t even outlined. The conversation was very tense, he started saying that this is not allowed and that everything I said is a lie, that he does not believe a word of it and that he explained it to the censors and that he either resigned or called the media. It seemed surreal and that’s where our conversation ended,” he explained.

Budget details

Teatro del Canal manager Mariano de Paco accompanied Lee at the press conference. De Paco explained that, unlike previously published, the contribution of the European network Prospero, which co-finances the show after the selection process, will not be 45,000 euros, but 24,000, as it will cover only half of the production. The manager explained that in order for the play to enter this European circuit and be broadcast on the TV channel ARTE, Canal Theaters also had to cover other costs, such as the recording of the show, the purchase of reproduction rights and subtitles in other languages. “We are talking about Prospero demanding that Teatros del Canal cover more than 70,000 euros for their participation in the Paco Bezerra project,” he said, providing unpublished information during the six months that the conflict was ongoing.

elDiario.es contacted Serge Rangoni, director of the Prospero network and the National Theater of Liège, who confirmed that “on a financial level, 22,500 euros for the production of the show comes from European subsidies and the same amount should come. From the theater’s own funds, in this case Teatros del Canal”. “In addition, each theater has to take 50% of the other budget blocks,” he noted, for which he estimated the total production cost “maybe” more than €70,000. Mariano proves De Paco,” Rangoni concluded.

When asked by reporters, Blanca Lee or Mariano de Paco have yet to give a plausible reason for omitting production cost details: “I wasn’t speechless,” the director said. When asked how many times the media asked him for an interview and he refused – this newspaper received four refusals between July and last week – Lee said that they “are here today with all the answers”: “You can’t say. That’s because I didn’t talk. There was no silence, he’s famous There is no silence,” he reiterated. Mariano de Paco insisted that political leaders had given explanations at the time and that “they may go deeper now.”

In an email accessed by elDiario.es, Prospero network director Blanca Lee offered him five days to inform him that Bezerra’s work would not be programmed, that “in case the co-producers have financial problems” Prospero “does not hesitate to intervene to find additional financial means”. An option not explored by Teatros del Canal.

Source: El Diario

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