"The theatre and society as a whole are swept by heated polemics over legal improvements in the activities of cultural institutions and the forms and methods of their support by the state. There is no doubt that such support is indispensable," the Russian president said at a meeting with stage representatives.
"We ought to create conditions for the development of cultural institutions and, what is important-to make them accessible to our people,' said Putin.
"I understand the concern of those who, as the discussion is developing, want to prevent crippling steps with destructive effect upon cultural institutions," noted the president.
Alexander Kalyagin, the chairman of the Union of Theatre Workers, noted that "the president has grasped everything we told him. This applies to trustees councils, and the possibility for a company to choose the form of its functioning and obligatory government financing,"
"Our next move will be introducing amendments to the bill," he said.
Last February the chairman of the Union of Theatre Workers sent a letter to Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, urging the government to mediate in the conflict between the Union of Theatre Workers and the ministry for economic development. The conflict was stirred up by the bills elaborated in the ministry for re-organizing state municipal institutions in the social sphere, including theatres.
These bills provide for dividing all institutions with municipal or federal budget subsidies into three groups.
The so-called "state-supported institutions" will receive guaranteed donations from the state but be deprived of the right to carry out commercial activities.
"Autonomous institutions", including cultural ones, will be able to engage in their basic (for the theatre: staging performances) and additional (say, the issue of books and cassettes) activity. Such a company is free to carry out economic activity and can be financed from the budget for fulfilling the tasks of its founder. It will have a trustees council of three-eleven people, with a representative of the founder being one of them.
The third type-"state autonomous profit-free institution" will also be given full freedom of economic activities.
As to the stage community, they believe that this reform will lead to the sway of censorship, poverty and the opening of casinos and clubs in theatre buildings.
The Union of Theatre Workers plans to convene an extraordinary congress for discussing the much-spoken-about reform.
