The change in operating hours of Shopping do Cacém, which now closes at 8:30 PM, is generating concern among teatromosca, the entity responsible for managing AMAS – Auditório Municipal António Silva, in Agualva-Cacém. The decision was approved unanimously at a General Assembly of Owners, with a 15-minute grace period for shop owners.
The theater company warns of the constraints that the measure may cause in access to the municipal facility and the potential impact on the holding of performances and other cultural activities, given that a significant part of the programming takes place in the evening, after the shopping center closes. AMAS regularly hosts theater and dance performances, concerts, cinema screenings, as well as initiatives promoted by local schools and associations.
According to Pedro Alves, artistic director of teatromosca, among the main problems are the closure of the box office, access to the auditorium only through a side door using stairs, and the unavailability of the shopping center's restrooms. The official also expresses concern about the evacuation conditions of the facility in case of emergency.
Given this situation, teatromosca asks for the intervention of Sintra City Council to ensure the normal functioning of AMAS and public access to cultural programming. Alberto Correia, from the Board of Directors of Shopping do Cacém, confirmed the approval of the measure and guaranteed that the evacuation routes are functioning in accordance with the law, noting that AMAS is autonomous and has its own emergency exits.
