Make a scene: Russian theaters will receive an additional 1 billion for development

Russia's creative unions will receive a special legislative status, and the theater industry itself will receive a development Strategy until 2030. Vladimir Putin announced the new state measures on October 22 at the Bolshoi Theatre on the 150th anniversary of the Union of Theatrical Figures. On the same day, the jubilee congress of the association was held, the key results of which were the re-election of Vladimir Mashkov as chairman and the revival of the name "Russian Theater Society". The participants of the event could not but be pleased with the news that in the next 10 years domestic theaters will receive an additional 1 billion rubles of financing for their development. How many theaters in the country are supported by the state and how the anniversary ceremony was held can be found in the Izvestia article.

The Bolshoi Theatre celebrated the 150th anniversary of the STD

A century and a half of history, service to art and the continuous connection of generations: On October 22, one of the country's oldest organizations celebrates its anniversary — 150 years ago, the Union of Theatrical Figures of Russia was established. Over the years, it has become an important pillar of the professional community and has brought together almost 30,500 specialists across the country — from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. And not only artists and directors, but also theater directors, artists, critics and other stage workers.

It all started in 1876 with the Society of Mutual Assistance of Russian Artists. The purpose of the association was formulated in the most practical way: "to help a Russian artist in need, in illness, in difficult moments of life, to give him the opportunity to recover and wait for the best circumstances." Among its founders were such prominent figures of Russian culture as Ivan Turgenev and Alexey Pleshcheyev.

The scale of the organization is commensurate with the scope of the celebrations, which were prepared at the state level according to the presidential decree. The ceremony was held on the country's main stage, the Bolshoi Theatre. Even before the official part began, a festive atmosphere prevailed in the lobby: famous artists, directors and veterans of the stage, including Svetlana Nemolyaeva, Gennady Khazanov and many others, sincerely rejoiced at the meeting, hugged and congratulated each other on their anniversary.

The festive program of the evening reflected all the richness of Russian and world culture. From the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, Sergei Bezrukov read the immortal lines of Sergei Yesenin, the Bolshoi Theater choir performed the legendary prologue from Sergei Prokofiev's opera "Love for Three Oranges," the actors of Oleg Tabakov's Theater recited Pushkin, and the soloists of the Mariinsky Theater presented a virtuoso pas de deux from the ballet "Corsair."

The official part of the anniversary evening was opened by Vladimir Putin, a frequent guest of the theater. The President regularly chooses the "Big One" for the country's main cultural and diplomatic events. Addressing the audience, the head of state recalled the historical origins of the Russian stage and its deep connection with the whole country.

— This year marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Russian Theater Community. It was organized more than a century after the opening of the first Russian professional theater in Yaroslavl. Its founder, Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov, created a permanent troupe that attracted thousands of spectators to its performances," the head of state noted.

The Head of State emphasized the uniqueness of the Russian art support system. Today, there are over six hundred professional theaters in Russia, funded from federal, regional and municipal budgets.

"There is no such thing in any country in the world, just not in any one," Vladimir Putin reminded, and announced the development of a profile Strategy for the development of the theater sector until 2030.

The President proposed to officially fix the special legislative status of creative unions, with the expansion of their rights in the formation of state orders, protection of labor rights and in matters of financing.

Prior to that, creative unions like STD existed as public organizations based on common norms for NGOs: they could advise and raise issues, but they did not have fixed powers in government procurement, financing and protection of labor rights; their influence depended on administrative decisions and working arrangements, and not on a separate legal status.

The uniqueness of this union of the state and the stage on the sidelines of the Bolshoi Theater was confirmed by the masters themselves. Gennady Khazanov, the artistic director of the Variety Theater, in an interview with Izvestia, called the current system an unprecedented phenomenon, and drew attention to the main thing — the preservation of the fundamental school.,

— Today it is a unique education in relation to almost the rest of the world. I think there are no analogues for such a powerful phenomenon to be supported by the state. In our country, theater is, of course, a mass story. Any searches and deviations from the Stanislavsky system are just temporary walks: everything returns to this road anyway. And the fact that we have preserved the tradition of Russian psychological theater is a huge achievement that needs to be protected," Khazanov said.

It is this inextricable link between tradition, continuity and school that makes the theater a key institution of education, as the president also spoke about from the rostrum. According to Vladimir Putin, the influence of the stage on the formation of the worldview of young people today can hardly be overestimated.

— What you put in the heart, in the soul of a young man, is what will happen to Russia. This will be the Russia of the future," the head of state concluded.

How was the anniversary congress of the RTO

On the same day, the anniversary congress of the STD was held within the walls of the Na Strastnoy Cultural Center. The participants had to resolve many pressing and fundamental issues about the future of the Union. Namely— to summarize the results of recent years and discuss innovations. The key decisions of the meeting were the approval of a new version of the charter and the re-election of Vladimir Mashkov as chairman of the union for the next five years.

For a century and a half, only five leaders have been at the helm of the organization. At the same time, Vladimir Mashkov, who headed the union in 2023, has already managed to significantly strengthen its position. The merits of the professional association were also noted at the highest level: at a solemn ceremony at the Bolshoi Theater, Vladimir Mashkov received from the president the Order of Merit for Culture and Art, awarded to the entire team.

From the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, the Head of State supported another decision of the congress — to return the historical name of the Russian Theater Society (RTO), which the association had carried for a long time in its history. Vladimir Mashkov presented the restored historical, the first sign of the Russian Theater Society to the head of state. This award has not been presented before. As the head of the society explained, the award was recreated on the model of the historical badge of the Russian Artists Mutual Aid Society in 1876 and became a symbol of the sincere appreciation of the entire theatrical community for the constant support of the state.

The Head of State, in turn, congratulated Vladimir Mashkov on his re-election as chairman. The delegates of the congress also noted the contribution of the artist to the development of the community. In particular, the union has focused in recent years on strengthening regional offices, social support for the theater community, and restoring its property base, and has achieved considerable success.

Since 2024, five new regional offices have joined the STD — in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. 440 million rubles were allocated to support the regions. Special attention is paid to helping participants and veterans of the SVO and their families: 6.5 million rubles were allocated, almost 3 million for rehabilitation at the Akter sanatorium in Sochi.

The medal "Saving Faith and the Fatherland" (interpretation of the abbreviation SVO) was established and awarded. A center has been established that works with modern drama on this topic in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Defense and the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation.

— Our Union always lives with the country: our colleagues are on the front line, and we cannot stand aside. I want you to know that we will not forget our fighters: neither those who died, nor those who returned," stressed Vladimir Mashkov at the congress.

One of the key areas turned out to be the protection of the organization's property. In two years, the union and its subsidiaries have filed more than 150 lawsuits seeking the return of assets. In particular, it was possible to restore control over the House of Creativity in Yalta, return land plots in Ruza and Ples, as well as settle debt obligations in the amount of over 90 million rubles. At the same time, rental income has increased, and the returned infrastructure — from Shchelykov and Zvenigorod to Sochi and Komarov — is gradually being put in order.

New tools for the development of the theater industry were also on the agenda of the congress. On the initiative of the STD, the Artist's Day was established, which is celebrated on January 17, the birthday of Konstantin Stanislavsky. In addition, with the participation of the theater community, a Concept for the development of theater in Russia until 2035 has been developed. Additional financing in the amount of more than 1 billion rubles has been approved for its implementation. Of these funds, over 500 million will be used to repair 11 theaters across the country, and a total of 113 theaters will be modernized by 2030.