MINSK, 24 August (BelTA) - The transition of the country's theaters to a new funding mechanism is a long overdue necessity, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said at a meeting with the heads of the national and local theaters on 23 August, BelTA has learned.
The key issue for discussion at the meeting was the transition of theaters to a mechanism of equal funding.
“Culture has always been in the focus of attention of the president and the government. Despite hard times, the government takes all necessary measures to develop theatrical and entertainment organizations, including the development and reconstruction of basic infrastructure, allocation of budgetary funds for new productions and maintenance in the form of budgetary subsidies. During his visit to the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater last February the president set a clear task for the transition of theaters to a mechanism of equal funding,” the prime minister said.
According to Roman Golovchenko, this approach should stimulate creative initiative and activity. “It should confirm in practice a well-known postulate that the theater can not exist without an audience. Accordingly, in addition to pure art, it is an economic product which should also be competitive, which should sell and bring money for the development of every theatrical institution,” he stressed.
The prime minister said that the meeting was held in order to make this transition effective and to discuss whether everything had been taken into account. “This transition is an objective, long-felt need. The strengthened dependence of wages on labor productivity is a principle under which absolutely all economic and creative agents in Belarus live,” said Roman Golovchenko.
