Students from the Martins Pena Theater School, managed by the Technical School Support Foundation (Faetec), will perform on Thursday (9), starting at 2 pm, in front of the Quintino technical school, in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro, to charge the state government for improvements in the building of the teaching unit in the center of the city.
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Founded in 1908, Martins Pena is the oldest theater school in Latin America. The historic building on Rua Vinte de Abril, in the center of the capital, has several damages to its structure, such as leaks, cracks and infiltrations. Last Monday night (6), students protested in front of the unit asking for improvements.
According to the students, classes could not be started when they returned from vacation due to the conditions in which the building was found. The Martins Pena theater has even been banned by the Civil Defense.
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“All the generations of students who went through this much-loved school have a huge love for it, because they know how fundamental it was in their formation. It’s 115 years of history of a public theater technical school. We can’t let the house fall down and with it a large part of the history of Brazilian theater and the possibility of public and quality artistic training for the new generations of actors and actresses”, said a student on social networks.
Faetec’s response
O Brazil in fact sent Faetec a request for a position regarding the complaints and conditions of the historic building in downtown Rio. Faetec issued the following note:
“We inform you that upon assuming the management of Faetec, in January 2023, the current administration immediately carried out a survey of units under maintenance in the Network, in which a requirement of the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) was verified, to continue the works at Escola Técnica de Teatro Martins Pena As it is a property listed by the Federal Government agency, a prospecting study was required, which is already in the contracting process.
It is important to clarify that the Escola Técnica Estadual de Teatro Martins Pena has a renovated building to serve students in the last module of the course and that the interdiction was determined today only for the listed mansion on the same land.
It is worth noting that this Wednesday (8th) a meeting is scheduled between the Central Administration and the Martins Pena school community to discuss space options that best serve the performing arts disciplines and do not cause pedagogical loss to students.
It should be noted that Faetec’s administration is committed to solving the problems, considering the students’ claims to be legitimate and the importance of culture and the school in the Foundation’s history,” says Faetec in the statement.
Source: BdF Rio de Janeiro
Editing: Eduardo Miranda
