Teatro di Roma scandal: executives raise salaries amid crisis

The Teatro di Roma is embroiled in a controversy over executive appointments and salary increases during a period of severe hardship for cultural workers. Lega councilors Maurizio Politi and Laura Corrotti have filed an urgent parliamentary question, denouncing that former manager Giorgio Barbiero Corsetti vacated his managerial role to become Artistic Director while retaining his salary, necessitating a costly new hire. Corsetti's new contract is worth €98,000 annually, down from €130,000, but combined with the new administrative director's salary, total costs exceed the previous figure. Additionally, Corsetti's per-production fees rose: €40,000 per direction (up from €30,000) and €20,000 per restaging (up from €15,000), plus travel expenses. Meanwhile, Francesca Corona, curator of Short Theatre and consultant for Teatro India, signed a new contract through 2022 worth €45,000 per year, despite the pandemic shutdown. Critics question the transparency of renovations, catering contracts, and potential conflicts of interest with Corona's artistic consultancy. The Teatro di Roma is a private-law but de facto public entity owned by the Municipality of Rome, Lazio Region, and the Metropolitan City of Rome, managing the Teatro Argentina and Teatro India. Under Mayor Virginia Raggi, the theater has faced accusations of chaos, inefficiency, and cronyism, contrasting with the brief period of reform under Ignazio Marino.