Calls intensify for Rialto to be transferred to Limassol

Calls for Rialto theatre in Limassol to be handed over to the people are intensifying, as the government appears to be postponing a cabinet decision on a proposal submitted by Limassol’s municipality. Rialto, which was originally built as a modern cinema in 1930, said in a press release that it belongs to the Limassolians and referred to its long history and the festivals it hosts. Following its decline in the 1980s, the theatre was bought in 1991 by the Limassol cooperative bank, which carried out restoration works and reopened it in 1999. in 2018, when the cooperative was dissolved, Rialto ended up in the hands of the state. In cooperation with the Limassol municipality, Rialto is now demanding that the government transfer its ownership so it could operate independently. Concern is mounting over delays in discussing the proposal put forward, with Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis saying that the transfer of ownership would be to the benefit of the state, the municipality and the theatre itself. Armeftis said it would be easier for an independent board to secure funding and that the municipality, which had experience in managing theatres, would be covering half of the expenses anyway. Chairwoman of the board of directors Dafni Pitta Diogenous said the state subsidy was less than 20 per cent of Rialto’s total budget and securing additional funds was currently difficult. This position was echoed by former chairman Kikis Kazamias, who said that since the cooperative bank had dissolved, it would be fair for it to be transferred to the municipality.