The world of Italian live entertainment is in turmoil . After the publication of the new decrees for the allocation of the National Fund for Live Entertainment, seven Regions – Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Sardinia, Tuscany, Umbria and Valle d'Aosta – are launching an urgent appeal: «We need a real discussion between the Ministry and the territories, before it's too late».

The alarm comes from a united institutional front that denounces a dangerous paradigm shift in the management of public funds destined for the sector .

According to the Culture Councilors who signed the document, the new rules introduced by Ministerial Decree 463 of December 2024 reward market logic and penalize artistic experimentation, inclusion and the social function of culture.

In other words: innovation and risk are put aside, in favor of the sole calculation of tickets sold and takings.

The consequences are already visible. Dozens of companies, festivals and production centers find themselves excluded from funding or severely downsized. Among the most striking cases: Santarcangelo dei Teatri which has seen its evaluation score halved, Fuorimargine in Cagliari demoted from production center to festival, Sardegna Teatro deprived of the dance festival , Teatro della Toscana downgraded from Teatro Nazionale to Tric. And then historic festivals such as Inequilibrio, Umbria Factory, BIG in Bari, all heavily penalized or completely excluded.

The risk, warn the councilors, is paralysis: shows cancelled, companies forced to stop, hundreds of cultural workers without prospects.

To make matters worse, three members of the consultative commissions – representing Anci, Upi and the Conference of Regions – have resigned, denouncing the lack of real sharing in choices and the exclusion of local institutions from decision-making processes.

"A crisis of legitimacy and representation - they write - that undermines at the root the balance between technical evaluation, fairness and co-responsibility".

Sardinia's position is particularly harsh, with six out of nine dance projects excluded from the three-year period 2025-2027 .

The regional councilor for Culture, Ilaria Portas, does not hide her bitterness: «It is a direct attack on our sector. We do not understand the reasons for these decisions that affect 60% of our projects and put at risk the continuity of work and the rights of professionals. Let's raise the level of discussion and defend the future of culture together».

The Regions are loudly calling for the elimination of the current ministerial commissions, considered unbalanced and unrepresentative, and the opening of an institutional discussion table to redefine the evaluation criteria in a participatory way. "Only in this way - they conclude - will it be possible to rebuild trust and guarantee a solid and pluralistic future for Italian live entertainment".

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