Public officials disguised as artists

Débora Quiring will remain in charge of the Department of Culture of the Montevideo City Hall and will continue squandering taxpayers' money.

It is estimated that Montevideo residents allocate at least $30 million pesos annually to the operational maintenance of the Comedia Nacional, not including the budget assigned to advertising, infrastructure, or administration. In addition, there are more than $38 million in salaries for teaching and technical staff at EMAD (Multidisciplinary School of Dramatic Art), from which the Comedia's cast is drawn.

Expenses for Comedia Nacional productions

The municipal cast presented its 2025 program: nine productions in three segments, with performances at Teatro Solís, Sala Verdi, and Sala Zavala Muniz, with tickets costing around one thousand Uruguayan pesos.

Between January and June 2025, the City Hall has already spent more than $2 million pesos on external contracts: international artists, set designers, transportation, production, and technical assistance.

First segment (March–May)

• "Sweet Bird of Youth" – Tennessee Williams
  Premiere: March 20 at the Main Hall of Teatro Solís
  Alejandro Tantanian (Argentinian director): U$S 9,704.55 — Resolution No. 117/25/8000
  Oria Puppo (Argentinian set designer): U$S 6,931.82 — Resolution No. 114/25/8000
  Enzo Vogrincic (guest actor): $349,530 — Resolution No. 269/25/8000
• "Raw Flesh" – Denise Despeyroux
  Premiere: March 20 at Sala Verdi
  Directed by André Hübener. No public expense data disclosed.

Second segment (June–July)

• "The Crucible" – Arthur Miller
  Premiere: June 21 at the Main Hall of Teatro Solís
  Andrés Lima (Spanish director): U$S 11,090.90 — Resolution No. 274/25/8000
• "The Foolish Lady" – Elena Garro, adaptation of Lope de Vega
  Premiere: June 12 – Sala Verdi
  Aurora Cano (Mexican director): U$S 9,704.55 — Resolution No. 275/25/8000
  Special performance by Papina de Palma (no official fee details)
• "The Pale Ones" – Lucía Carballal
  Sala Zavala Muniz. Co-production with Spain's National Dramatic Center.
  No public expenses reported.

Third segment (October–November)

• "Nothing Happens to Us" – Jimena Márquez
  Sala Zavala Muniz. Co-production with Singulier Pluriel (Canada). No official data.
• "The Rights of Health" – Florencio Sánchez / Domingo Milesi
  Teatro Solís. No cost information disclosed.
• "They Say" – Analía Torres / Florencia Lindner
  Sala Verdi. No public hiring records.
• "The Tears" – Matías Umpierrez
  Video art project with MACA, ACAU, Santiago a Mil, and Montevideo Audiovisual. No published investment data.

How much does the Comedia Nacional cast cost?

The estimated expenditure on salaries for the entire Comedia Nacional 2025 cast —including the 30 permanent actors and actresses, plus 5 interns (4 from EMAD and 1 from IAM)— amounts to approximately:

• $2,690,410 per month
• $32,284,920 per year

This figure doesn't include other expenses such as costumes, production, transportation, set design, technical staff, or artistic direction.

Nor does it include the salary of the General and Artistic Director of the Comedia Nacional, José Miguel Onaindia, who for three years will receive $235,472 monthly (according to Resolution No. 5074/06, SIR Grade 20 under a 40-hour weekly regime, plus social benefits).

EMAD: a parallel and connected structure

The "Margarita Xirgu" Multidisciplinary School of Dramatic Art (EMAD) also depends on the Department of Culture of the Montevideo City Hall. It has a direct and strategic relationship with the Comedia Nacional, since most of the cast graduated from EMAD.

Each year, the Comedia hires graduate interns ($188,359 to the Valorarte cooperative for graduate assistance; $40,682 to Cooparte for the participation of actor Rodrigo Brocal) and several EMAD teachers who work as directors or technicians in Comedia productions.

You may also be interested in this chronicle about historical betrayals and convenient silences, which reveals forgotten episodes of Uruguayan politics.

The Department of Culture must be eliminated

The Montevideo City Hall has more than 8,000 employees, of whom 1,017 belong to the Department of Culture. The minimum estimated monthly personnel expenditure amounts to approximately $23,029,965.

All resolutions related to payments and contracts to promote progressive state culture are approved by Débora Quiring, who assumed the direction of the Department of Culture in February 2025 after Obaldía's resignation.

According to the current salary scale, the "cultural journalist" is receiving $253,652 per month, plus all benefits.

You may also be interested in this analysis of the first 100 days of the new political leadership in Montevideo, a logbook as revealing as it is unexpected.

During the next five years, under the new administration of Mario Bergara, the municipal machinery will continue to grow, mocking the efforts of all Montevideo residents.