MOSCOW, MARCH 2-RIA NOVOSTI - Putin received Tuesday the chief directors of the Maly (Moscow) and Alexandrinsky (St.Petersburg) Theatres to discuss arrangements for the forthcoming celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Empress Elizabeth's act which initiated Russia's state policy as regards histrionic art. Vladimir Putin declared in favour of using this opportunity for attracting attention to the status of the theatre on the domestic scene and for encouraging it to take a new lease on life.
The Maly Theatre's art director Yury Solomin suggested a joint celebration of this date by Russia's two oldest companies, that is the Maly and Alexandrinsky troupes. This event, in his opinion, should be turned into a general Russian theatrical festival, with such activities as, for instance, a gala performance of the Far East's Vladivostok companies and Central Russia's Yaroslavl threatre in Yekaterinburg, the Urals.
Maly Theatre director-general Viktor Korshunov noted that the forthcoming date should become a highlight in the history not only of the Russian theatre but Russian cultural life as a whole.
