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Tbilisi Azerbaijan Drama Theater in bad conditions

05 July 2007 13:34 (UTC +04:00)

The building where Tbilisi Azerbaijan Drama Theater is situated, is in bad conditions, APAâ€™s Georgia bureau reports.
The building was given to Tbilisi Azerbaijan Drama Theater by Georgian president Mikhail Saakashviliâ€™s order on June 11, 2004.
The theater administration says that they do not have funds to reconstruct the building.
â€œOur budget does not afford the reconstruction. We have only started repairing the hall at the internal expenditure. But these funds are not enough,â€ they said.
Georgian state budget allocates $ 57.600 for Tbilisi Azerbaijan Drama Theater every year. 60% of this allocation is spent on salaries and 40% on public utilities. Though the total area of the theater is 3800 sq m the theater uses only 20% of it.
By President Mikhail Saakashviliâ€™s order the building has entirely been given to Tbilisi Azerbaijan Drama Theater, but 16 families have been settled there, besides, there are two shops and one restaurant. Only four performances have been staged at the theater in 2007. The theater administration is obliged to rent halls of other theaters to stage performances.
The theater administration is dissatisfied with Azerbaijani governmentâ€™s indifference towards Tbilisi Azerbaijan Drama Theater.
â€œOur theater is the only theater having no financial support. Armenian government allocates funds to the Armenian theater situated in Georgia. Russian government reconstructed Russian theater. Trees grow in the rooms of our theater,â€ the theater administration says. /APA/