Energy Costs Close Hungary's Theaters for Winter
2022-10-10
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1A theater in Hungary's capital is likely to go unused through a cold and quiet winter.
2Theater operators have decided to close buildings rather than pay high prices for heating and electricity.
3High energy costs are making it hard for many businesses and cultural institutions across Europe to stay open.
4The 111-year-old Erkel Theatre in Budapest is one of three performance spaces of the Hungarian State Opera that will close in November.
5The operators can no longer pay to heat the 1,800-seat building.
6"We had to decide how we can save," said Szilveszter Okovacs, the director of the Hungarian State Opera.
7"Even though it hurts...to close Erkel for a few months," he said, it makes sense. He added that people's pay is "the most important."
8The group's energy bills have become eight times and sometimes 10 times more costly than usual.
9The temporary closure of the Erkel Theatre is one of many cases involving cultural institutions in Hungary.
10Many are struggling to stay open. High inflation, a weakening currency, and energy costs are hurting many businesses and groups.
11This situation is taking place across Europe as energy prices skyrocket, or greatly increase, because of Russia's war in Ukraine.
12High energy costs are forcing some factories to shut down, making products more costly and fueling fears of a recession.
13In July, Hungary's government declared an "energy emergency."
14It was a reaction to rising prices and supply problems linked to Russia's war in Ukraine.
15The government also reduced a popular utility payment aid program.
16Since 2014, that program has kept Hungarians' costs for energy and water among the lowest in the 27-member European Union.
17As a result, many businesses and households saw natural gas and electric bills increase by as much as 1,000 percent from one month to the next.
18In an effort to save energy, Hungary's government ordered a 25 percent reduction in the use of electricity and natural gas in public buildings.
19This includes cultural institutions, such as museums and theaters.
20Now they are required to keep temperatures inside buildings at or below 18 degrees Celsius.
21Beata Barda is director of the Trafo House of Contemporary Arts in Budapest.
22She said her theater's electricity bills have risen 200 percent since June.
23Barda added that there is an "uncertainty factor."
24That means she does not know how big her gas and electric bills are going to be this winter.
25To cut costs, the theater will show about two-thirds of its normal winter program.
26Also, parts of the building that do not need to be heated will be shut off from the rest.
27And the number of rehearsals that need full-stage lighting will be cut down.
28Barda said, "We'd like to avoid shutting down or having to cancel performances, so obviously we've got to cut down in all sorts of ways."
29In Hungary, inflation is at nearly 16 percent.
30The national currency is reaching historic lows against the dollar and euro.
31People are also struggling with rising prices.
32Barda said few people could go to the theater.
33This could lead to financial troubles for the entire cultural industry.
34"Our audiences have wallets, too. And their expenses have also risen," Barda said.
35"How able or willing will they be to come to the theater? This is a really important question."
36The Comedy Theatre of Budapest is one of the oldest in the city.
37The lights in the building's entrance area and long hallways have been shut off -- even on working days -- to save energy.
38The gas bill for the large theater has gone from $92,000 a year to $577,000.
39Local governments around the country have announced that theaters, museums, and other cultural centers must close for the winter.
40As the energy crisis deepens, more of Hungary's cultural centers could be threatened with closure.
41Krisztina Szekely is a stage director in Budapest.
42She said closures would be very bad for the cultural life of Hungarians.
43She said she believes that if these institutions fail or are unavailable, it could affect the mental state of the entire society.
44I'm Anna Matteo.
1A theater in Hungary's capital is likely to go unused through a cold and quiet winter. 2Theater operators have decided to close buildings rather than pay high prices for heating and electricity. High energy costs are making it hard for many businesses and cultural institutions across Europe to stay open. 3The 111-year-old Erkel Theatre in Budapest is one of three performance spaces of the Hungarian State Opera that will close in November. The operators can no longer pay to heat the 1,800-seat building. 4"We had to decide how we can save," said Szilveszter Okovacs, the director of the Hungarian State Opera. "Even though it hurts...to close Erkel for a few months," he said, it makes sense. He added that people's pay is "the most important." 5The group's energy bills have become eight times and sometimes 10 times more costly than usual. 6The temporary closure of the Erkel Theatre is one of many cases involving cultural institutions in Hungary. Many are struggling to stay open. High inflation, a weakening currency, and energy costs are hurting many businesses and groups. 7This situation is taking place across Europe as energy prices skyrocket, or greatly increase, because of Russia's war in Ukraine. 8High energy costs are forcing some factories to shut down, making products more costly and fueling fears of a recession. 9In July, Hungary's government declared an "energy emergency." It was a reaction to rising prices and supply problems linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. The government also reduced a popular utility payment aid program. Since 2014, that program has kept Hungarians' costs for energy and water among the lowest in the 27-member European Union. 10As a result, many businesses and households saw natural gas and electric bills increase by as much as 1,000 percent from one month to the next. 11In an effort to save energy, Hungary's government ordered a 25 percent reduction in the use of electricity and natural gas in public buildings. This includes cultural institutions, such as museums and theaters. Now they are required to keep temperatures inside buildings at or below 18 degrees Celsius. 12Beata Barda is director of the Trafo House of Contemporary Arts in Budapest. She said her theater's electricity bills have risen 200 percent since June. Barda added that there is an "uncertainty factor." That means she does not know how big her gas and electric bills are going to be this winter. 13To cut costs, the theater will show about two-thirds of its normal winter program. Also, parts of the building that do not need to be heated will be shut off from the rest. And the number of rehearsals that need full-stage lighting will be cut down. 14Barda said, "We'd like to avoid shutting down or having to cancel performances, so obviously we've got to cut down in all sorts of ways." 15In Hungary, inflation is at nearly 16 percent. The national currency is reaching historic lows against the dollar and euro. People are also struggling with rising prices. Barda said few people could go to the theater. This could lead to financial troubles for the entire cultural industry. 16"Our audiences have wallets, too. And their expenses have also risen," Barda said. "How able or willing will they be to come to the theater? This is a really important question." 17The Comedy Theatre of Budapest is one of the oldest in the city. The lights in the building's entrance area and long hallways have been shut off -- even on working days -- to save energy. 18The gas bill for the large theater has gone from $92,000 a year to $577,000. 19Local governments around the country have announced that theaters, museums, and other cultural centers must close for the winter. 20As the energy crisis deepens, more of Hungary's cultural centers could be threatened with closure. Krisztina Szekely is a stage director in Budapest. She said closures would be very bad for the cultural life of Hungarians. 21She said she believes that if these institutions fail or are unavailable, it could affect the mental state of the entire society. 22I'm Anna Matteo. 23Justin spike reported this story for the Associated Press from Budapest, Hungary. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24______________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26institution -n. an established organization 27currency -n. the money that a country uses 28skyrocket -v. to increase quickly to a high level 29utility -n. a service that provides needed things like water, electricity, gas, and other things 30rehearsal -n. an event in which a person or group practices a performance to prepare for the public performance 31obviously -adv. in a way that is clearly understood 32wallet -n. a small container used to hold money, credit cards and identification 33_______________________________________________________________________ 34We want to hear from you. What did you think of this story? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the vocabulary or expressions from the story. 35We have a new comment system. 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