The Generalitat and the Provincial Council of Valencia are asking the central government to finance part of a renovation estimated at €40 million and four years of work. The closure of the coliseum for safety reasons leaves the performing arts sector without its main public stage.
The renovation of the Principal Theatre in Valencia still lacks a clear distribution of responsibilities. The Provincial Council of Valencia and the Generalitat agree that funding is needed and that the ball is, in part, in the court of the Spanish Government, according to elmundo.es.
The president of the Provincial Council, Vicent Mompó, has estimated the project at around €40 million and a timeframe of four years. The condition of the building prevents the work from being carried out in phases, a limitation that the provincial leader conveyed to the Association of Performing Arts Companies of the Valencia Community in a meeting with the company Yapadú and the theatre delegation workers.
The Provincial Council has opened the door for the Generalitat and the Valencia City Council to share the costs. Mayor María José Catalá has agreed to explore this option, although she requests one-third ownership of the theatre in return, a complex operation that the Consell spokesperson, Miguel Barrachina, has listened to without closing the door on it.
Barrachina has confirmed the Consell's willingness to "cooperate to ensure it is rehabilitated as soon as possible," but pointed to Madrid as the decisive factor.
"The key is whether the Spanish Government is going to help us, as it does with other theatres in Spain or not"
In that direction, Mompó has sent a letter to the central government outlining the situation of the Principal and the need to invest in the building, just as is done with the Teatro Real in Madrid or the Liceo in Barcelona.
The provincial president has defended the management of the Provincial Council since it took over maintenance in 2024: it has complied with "all technical inspections" over the past two years, and the OCA reports on elevators, fire systems, and electrical installations were in order. Previously, under the Valencian Institute of Culture, only one review is recorded in 2023.
The Provincial Council had to rectify three unfavourable reports due to deficiencies until it commissioned a detailed expert report that concluded the theatre should be closed for safety reasons. The Consell has not commented on what it knew about these issues.
The sector is calling for coordination between administrations to reduce the impact of the closure. Mompó has sent them "a message of reassurance" and has indicated that work is already underway on the tender for the new Principal Theatre project. The Escalante Theatre will have a definitive venue between 2027 and 2028, after losing it in 2015.
The Association of Performing Arts Companies demands that dialogue be maintained to "define a roadmap that bets on programming in other spaces" and for protective measures for the companies. The closure of the Principal leaves Valencia without its main public stage until it is clarified who will pay for the work.
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