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Spain’s Financial Crisis Sends Actors Into Homes
The bad economy and new taxes have deterred Spaniards from spending on culture and many theaters are closing, but a small group of actors may have found a way to survive.
Laura Llimona and Jose Baron, two of the actors in the Theater in Apartments company, performing, as they do, in a private home. Audiences are small, but the actors still earning a living – by passing a hat after shows. They’re finding early support among a citizenry strapped for cash – and mad at the government for levying a heavy new tax on ordinary theater tickets.
Actors and artists in Spain have been having a hard time lately. The bad economy and new taxes have deterred Spaniards from spending on culture. Many theaters are closing. In Barcelona a small group of actors may have found a way to survive. The World’s Gerry Hadden explains.