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Culture ministry considers establishing state theaters in Polatsk, Lida

The Belarusian Ministry of Culture considers granting state theater status to two troupes based in Polatsk, Vitsyebsk region, and Lida, Hrodna region, First Deputy Minister Uladzimir Karachewski told reporters in Minsk on Thursday.

At present, there are 28 state theaters in Belarus, including two musical theaters, 19 drama theaters and seven puppet theaters, with two of them recently established in Babruysk and Slonim, small cities in the Mahilyow and Hrodna regions, respectively. Five companies hold national theater status.

Mr. Karachewski said that extensive efforts were under way to renovate theaters. A respective government program that was to expire in 2010 has been extended until 2013 because of a large amount of renovation work that needs to be carried out, the deputy minister said, noting that the government’s spending on the maintenance of theaters was expected to total 73 billion rubels ($24.3 million) this year compared with 53 billion rubels in 2010.

Among major problems facing the country’s theaters, Mr. Karachewski mentioned a shortage of good stage directors.

According to the culture ministry, Belarus’ state theaters launched 130 new productions last year, with 37 of them based on pieces by Belarusian authors. They staged a total of more than 9,000 events, including plays and music concerts, which attracted almost two million visitors. //BelaPAN