La Scala Cancels 'Faust' Opening Night After Strike Vote

Teatro alla Scala has canceled the opening night of its new production of "Faust" on Oct. 20 after workers voted to strike.

The Fondazione Teatro alla Scala said the walkout left no way to perform the production as scheduled. The strike follows a workers' assembly called by the Cgil, Cisl, Uil and Fials unions, where 449 of 450 participants voted to authorize industrial action — a near-unanimous margin of 99.8 percent.

What do the workers want?

The dispute concerns renewal of the theatre's contract, which would run for three years from 2027. Workers are demanding a 15 percent rise in gross annual pay. They also want a meeting with the theatre's board of directors.

That demand translates to roughly one additional month's salary per year for each affected employee, based on the requested increase. No meeting with the board has been announced so far.

The near-unanimous vote signals deep frustration among the workforce. In plain terms: virtually every worker in the room backed the strike.

How will ticketholders be refunded?

The foundation has set out two refund routes:

• Online purchases will be reimbursed automatically.
• Box office purchases and "Opera Turno Prime" subscriptions can be refunded for the pro-rata subscription value of the canceled performance by emailing rimborsi@fondazionelascala.

Audiences holding tickets for Oct. 20 face no financial loss, but they must act if they bought at the box office. Automatic reimbursement applies only to online buyers.

Who stars in the rescheduled 'Faust'?

"Faust" will now open on Oct. 24. The cast includes Marina Rebeka, Alex Esposito, Vittorio Grigolo, Marcela Rahal, Ernesto Petti, Hyeonsol Park and Xhieldo Hyseni. Daniele Rustioni conducts, and Johannes Erath directs.

The four-day delay preserves the full staging and cast. The open question is whether further union action will disrupt the run before the board responds to the pay demand.

By Elena Vasquez