According to members of Teatro Oficina, on the morning of Monday, February 5, 2024, the theater designed by Lina Bo Bardi and Edson Elito "was taken by surprise by a heavy-handed action to block the alleyway arches, carried out by the Silvio Santos Group."
The best theater in the world, according to The Guardian, is locked in a historic conflict with the conglomerate over the ownership of the adjacent plot of land, where there are plans to create Bixiga River Park (Parque do Rio Bixiga)—a project drawing closer to reality following an agreement between the Public Prosecutor's Office and the São Paulo Municipal Government. The sealed arches are located at the "end" of the theater, past the catwalk where the performances take place, connecting the street to the plot of land.
Below is an excerpt from the statement published on X (formerly Twitter) by Teatro Oficina Uzyna Uzona, detailing the actions that took place today:
"A repossession order is underway for the blue staircase connecting the arches to the land. However, the Silvio Santos Group preempted the legal action, hastily removing the staircase before the judge could issue a final ruling on the repossession.
A new development has been added to the case: the allocation of funds by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the executive branch to expropriate the land surrounding the theater. While this new factor already changes the game, the Silvio Santos Group, in a hasty action, bypassed the legal process itself.
Regarding the closure of the alley's arches, this act is illegal; it is symbolic and concrete violence against tangible and intangible heritage listed across the 3 levels of protection (municipal, state, and federal).
The calling of this theater-territory is to open the closed abscesses of this country's political massacres. We are suffering political retaliation for our collective struggle to preserve the last piece of open land in downtown São Paulo from the clutches of real estate speculation."
Source: Uzyna Uzona
This article was written by ArchDaily Team. The translation is powered by AI.
