A retreat session of the Committee on Education, Culture, Science and National Affairs took place at the Atninsky Theater

Today, an on-site meeting of the Committee on Education, Culture, Science and National Issues was held at the Atninsky State Drama Theater named after Gabdulla Tukai. The parliamentarians, together with the directors of  leading theaters of the republic, discussed the implementation of the law of the Republic of Tatarstan “On theaters and theatrical business in the Republic of Tatarstan”. Rimma Ratnikova, Deputy Chairman of the State Council, took part in the meeting. The main report was made by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan Irada Ayupova.

Opening the meeting, Committee Chairman Razil Valeev noted that the Atninsky Theater is unique because it is the only theater in the village that has the status of a state one. In addition, last year it  celebrated its centenary anniversary. Before the meeting, members of the Committee also visited the Kazan Academic Russian Bolshoi (Grand) Drama Theater named after V. I.  Kachalov, where they got acquainted with the activities of the theater museum.

Razil Valeev recalled that in 2016 the republican law “On theaters and theatrical business” was adopted, aimed at regulating the activities of theaters in Tatarstan within the authority of the state authorities of the Republic of Tatarstan, preserving  achievements of performing arts and ensuring  dynamic development of theatrical business in traditional forms using innovative approaches and global experience.

In addition, the law is aimed at expanding the range of theatrical services (choosing a repertoire, creating new forms of productions), as well as improving the quality of theatrical education, including improving the system of advanced training of theater specialists and pedagogues, and developing new areas of education. The Chairman of the Committee noted that such a document has been  developed and adopted in only a few subjects of the country.

“We have been drafting the law for two years. By order of the State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin, a working group was established, which included about 20 specialists. As a rule, after the adoption of a law by the State Council or a decision, after several years, we check the course of its execution on the basis of our control functions, ”explained Razil Valeev.

At present, there are 18 state and municipal theaters in the republic, including: 5 children's theaters (3 young spectators' theaters and 2 puppet theaters), 11 drama theaters, 2 musical theaters, including an opera and ballet theater. 10 non-state theaters operate on a permanent basis.

The progress report on implementing   the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Theater and Theatrical business in the Republic of Tatarstan” was presented by Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan Irada Ayupova. She said that in the law under review, key issues in the activities of theaters in the Republic of Tatarstan are designated: state policy in the field of theatrical business, powers of state bodies, state support for theatrical art, theater roster, its   powers, privileges when visiting theaters, certification of professional creative workers and etc.

 “The theatrical art of our republic today demonstrates a high level in all key indicators. This is the number of new performances, and an increase in attendance, and expansion of the repertoire offer, and a wide geography of tours, and well-deserved awards at prestigious festivals and premiums, ”said Irada Ayupova. Thus, the number of premieres in state and municipal theaters of the republic last year amounted to 84 performances, whereas 6 years ago this figure reached only 56.

The average occupancy of halls in theaters is more than 80 percent. The theaters of the republic use a differentiated pricing of seats in the auditorium, which ensures the availability of tickets, including inexpensive tickets for different categories of spectators.

Within the framework of the state program and the Theater Act, funds are allocated from the republican budget for  material and technical support of theaters, the creation of new theater performances, tours and much more. This year, in the Year of the Theater, almost 90 million rubles were additionally allocated from the budget of Tatarstan for the implementation of large-scale events.

Irada Ayupova separately marked the points that were revealed during  monitoring of the implementation of the Law. Thus, there is a need to regulate the return of tickets for theater performances by buyers, since this procedure is not regulated at the federal or regional level, the rules for return are established by the institutions themselves.

The issues of improving  living conditions of young artists and their families, attracting young professionals to work in small cities and rural areas, and staffing the industry remain topical. A number of questions relate to the development of  amateur theatrical creativity in Tatarstan, about which  director of the people's theater “Serdash” of the regional house of culture Tyulyachins told about it during the meeting.