The Municipal Theater Musicians Association Amitem has filed a lawsuit against the Public Ministry of São Paulo against the Municipal Theater Foundation, an institution related to the Municipal Secretariat of Culture, which is responsible for employing private organizations that manage cultural facilities.
The complaint criticizes Sustenidos’ continued management contract with the City of São Paulo.
In September, Ricardo Nunez (MDB) requested the termination of the contract with the social organization. The letter sent to MP-SP also accuses Sustenidos of mismanagement, which OS denies.
The main motivation was a 2023 decision by the City Auditor General, in which the court unanimously required the City Theater Foundation to issue a new notification to select a socio-cultural organization to manage the theater, something that has not happened since then.
When contacted, City Hall said a new round of bidding would be launched within the next few days, including proposals received during the public consultation period, and that the successful bidder would replace Sustenidos.
The Municipal Theater Foundation said, “We have already provided an explanation regarding Amicem’s baseless claims upon request from the public prosecutor’s office.”
However, City Hall did not answer whether the tender contract signed with Sustenidos would be canceled before the date set in the notification (i.e. May 2026) or whether OS would be able to compete for a new notification.
However, a person involved in the process, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that because there is no emergency contract, Sustenidos, who has already announced next year’s lyrical season, would normally remain until the end of his contract and be able to compete in the next open call.
Amicem has criticized the draft plan published by Sustenidos, saying it is not interested in competing for the management of the municipal theater. The organization said the document highlights the dehydration of arts organizations and programming.
The sheet City Hall said it was analyzing the previous defense presented by Sustenidos and that the process was in accordance with the law.
Nunez said at the time that he requested termination of his contract because Sustenidos had not fired Pedro Guida, an employee of the Municipal Theater, at his request. He had shared a post on Instagram in which someone said the influencer was a Nazi on the death of Trumpist Charles Kirk.
Mr. Sustenidos maintains that disciplinary measures have been applied to Mr. Guida and have been complied with. He remains on staff as a municipal casting director.
Latest episodes on the crisis at the Municipal Theater
There is an ideological war between city hall and theater management that has intensified in recent years.
On the other hand, Sustenidos has been accused of having his artistic direction guided by agendas tied to the left. On the one hand, conservative lawmakers allied with Nunes took a stand against the manager, citing allegations of ideological indoctrination inside the theater.
Last month, a São Paulo court ruled to cancel the appointments of two members of the foundation’s evaluation committee. One of them had worked as a doorman, a night watchman, and a carpenter’s assistant. The other person was a 22-year-old young man who was studying the 9th year of law at a private university at the time.
Last week, City Symphony Orchestra double bassist Brian Fountain was fired after criticizing the company’s production of the opera “Macbeth” on the internet. The disciplinary suspension will last for 30 days, during which Mr. Fountain will not receive pay.
On his social networks, he called the performance “the destruction of opera and classical music in TMSP.”
Last Friday (7th), the public expecting a performance was surprised by an outcry from the House’s arts organization following the withdrawal of the double bassist.
Musician Claudio Guimarães said: “We are against the management of Sustenidos and the current board of the Municipal Theater Foundation.” “We declare that neither those who visit us nor those who pass by will silence us. We are the artists of the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, the intangible heritage of this city. We will respect our history and protect this house, which is also your home.”
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