Syktyvkar cinema theatre Oktyabr [October] revoked the preliminary agreements with the theatre Teatr.doc play The Last Party/Human Rights Defenders organizers on hosting it on its venue, which was supposed to take place on April 30, as the road tour organizer Veronika Tarzian informed the online magazine "7x7" reporters.
According to her, the Oktyabr cinema director Ilina Miroshnichenko gave her consent to the performance a few days ago.Over the phone she asked to send a written application in no particular form, noting that this would be enough for the venue rent. After receiving it she promised to register the performance in the schedule of events. The head of Oktyabr asked not to write the word "rent" in the document, but replace it with the phrase "assistance in conducting events." Tarzian and Miroshnichenko agreed that the hall would be lent for three hours, two hours at a price of 2 thousand rubles, and another hour for communicating with the actors would be given for free. The performance organizer had sent an application, but a few days later she found out that the performance was impossible since it takes 30 days for the approval.
"Everything is going according to the plan, no other performances are planned," Ilina Miroshnichenko explained to the "7x7" correspondent. "They send us an application. It should be brought with stamps and signatures. Then we look at them, if there is any way to host someone. We authorize all these leasing relationships with our founder and with the Property Committee, as they are the owners of the facilities. Only after these procedures we register that thing in the schedule and sign the contract. There is no signature or stamp in the application. Such applications are not accepted and are not considered. Apparently it was a matter of misunderstanding.
Ilina Miroshnichenko noted that she did not contact the organizers of the road tour to inform them that their application had not been accepted since she had no contacts. Veronika Tarzian assures that she gave her phone number to the Oktyabr director.
The road tour organizer assumes that the venue rental in Oktyabr could have been canceled at the request of one of the officials. "The head of Oktyabr was so happy when I called her. She was not interested in what kind of performance it would be. She was pleased with the fact itself, and that they can make some money. And then she suddenly changed her mind. I was disappointed that the director could not make her own, independent decision," said Tarzian.
Now the road tour organizers are looking for another venue for the performance.
Teatr.Doc has already faced the denials of being allowed to rent the venue.
The documentary play theatre Teatr.Doc was established in 2002 by several playwrights. This is a non-governmental, non-profit, independent collective project. Many activities are performed by volunteers ex gratia. Most of the performances are staged in the documentary theatre genre.
The play Last Party/Human Rights Defenders was staged on the basis of the play written by Anna Dobrovolskaya. "They are cursed. Their work is not noticed. They are easily betrayed by those whom they helped to. They tell tales and horror stories on TV about them. But they forget about themselves and go to the places where it is difficult and sometimes unbearable," says the performance description on the theatre website.