Competitions for cultural directors are a "false democratic gesture"
In Porto, on the sidelines of a press rehearsal for one of the shows that are part of the "RP 80" program, which celebrates Ricardo Pais' 80th birthday, the former director of the TNSJ stated that, although Vítor Hugo Pontes' work is "very interesting and good", the competition formula for a house that is a Public Business Entity (EPE) is "dubious".
"I think the competitions are sheer stupidity. It's a false democratic gesture to invite people from abroad to earn the pittance they earn here," he said.
For Ricardo Pais, the current system serves to absolve the State of its responsibility to understand, with those who know, how to choose a good director.
"The choice should be pre-selected, not just anyone. This then creates that very nice thing, which is - and which was very useful during the 'Costa dictatorship' - that we consider ourselves to be immensely democratic, because we open a competition," he argued.
For the director, this practice "makes no sense", especially "in a house that spent years trying to be autonomous, with its own theater methods".
The former director of the TNSJ also criticized what he considers to be a "scandalous" attack on previous directors of that theater, referring to the case of the president of the TNSJ board of directors, Pedro Sobrado.
"Of course, when things don't go well, those who are in charge of these things get beaten up through no fault of their own, like the beating Pedro Sobrado took recently, which was absolutely scandalous," he criticized.
Choreographer and director Victor Hugo Pontes was chosen in the international competition, launched in April, to take on the role of artistic director of the TNSJ for the four-year period 2025/2028, after the candidate selected in the previous one, director Tiago Guedes, withdrew his candidacy, "citing professional commitments in 2025 that proved to be unavoidable and incompatible with the exercise of the functions for which he would be designated".
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