The Theatre Times: According to the national statistics, the number of state and municipal theatres reached 651 in 2016. That same year, 87,553 people were employed as actors, stage crew, and administrative staff. The theatre companies used 1394 buildings, 20% of which were listed as cultural heritage. However, almost 25% of buildings were in unsatisfactory condition and in dire need of serious reconstruction. This issue is critical for regional theatres which cannot afford reconstruction and renovation of their facilities or some theatres actually fear that the buildings and premises where they are based might be taken from them by investors. The total capacity of the venues amounted to 234,028 seats. Only 2% of the seats were fit to be used by physically disabled people.
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Despite Russia’s complex geopolitical history with the United States, there is no denying that Russian artists have made brilliant contribution to the artists with names like Chekhov, Stanislavski, Tchaikovsky, Vasiliev, and Stravinsky all being global household names throughout the ages. Thus it is especially crucial that Russia work to preserve and curate the theater as an important part of its cultural landscape. Russia currently suffers from complex economic problems and regional inequality that is most likely at the root of this huge disparity in theater accessibility. Many of the solutions proposed in the article, such as supporting regional theaters and encouraging private ventures are certainly interesting ones. Another idea that should be examined is possibly incentivizing theater as a form of Russian nationalism. Given President Putin’s penchant for Russian Nationalism, incentivizing the growth of theater to celebrate Russia’s diverse culture and history might be a method to encourage very wealthy business interests in Russia to promote and support the theater. It would be a travesty if this institution were to suffer and decay, because of a lack of support given to theaters at the local and regional levels.
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