Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in St Petersburg last week, where he wished actress Alisa Freindlich a happy 75th birthday. Apart from hosting a traditional birthday tea party, she used the opportunity to complain that the Georgy Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre (GABDT), where she works, was horribly dilapidated. A source informed the newspaper that while the prime minister was aware that the theatre had problems, he was shocked to hear from Ms Freindlich that there were "cracks in the walls and stains on the ceiling from past leaks."
The source said that Mr Putin planned to personally inspect the building next Friday. Culture Minister Alexander Avdeyev and Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu have been instructed to get to the bottom of the problem. Similarly, the Emergencies Ministry has delivered special equipment, which had previously been used in earthquake-shattered L'Aquila, Italy, to determine the building's stability. The results should be in by the end of the week.
Deputy Culture Minister Pavel Khoroshilov held a meeting at the theatre yesterday to discuss its reconstruction. The meeting's participants all agreed that the GABDT stage and surrounding area desperately needed an overhaul, and that the theatre also needed modern stage equipment to provide convenience for both spectators and actors.
The allocation of 1.5 billion roubles from the budget for the GABDT's reconstruction and technical refitting was stipulated in a government resolution back in May 2009. Spending on design and feasibility studies has been approved at 30 million roubles. In 2010, 200 million roubles will be provided. The project should be completed in 2012.
By Anastasia Savinykh