Musicians Warmed by Fire-wood

“I would not be surprised if the Kutaisi Opera House is closed because of the poor working conditions there. Nobody goes to performances; no more first-nights are held, either. I am sorry for the actors because they cannot get salaries and shiver of cold. Some of them went to Tbilisi, others went to Batumi. I will not be surprised if I see some of them in the market trading. Our country has become a great market,” said one of the Kutaisi residents, who despite his great love to music, could not remember his last visit to the Kutaisi Opera House.

In 1969, initially, the branch of the Tbilisi Opera House was opened in one of the historical buildings in Kutaisi, and then it was replaced by the Kutaisi Opera and Ballet House after Meliton Balanchivadze. Nobody could imagine at that time that one fine day the idea of closing the opera house would come to mind. Today, the existence of the theatre is under suspicion and everybody speaks about it loudly.

The director of the State Theatre, Giorgi Lomtadze, recalled the time when culture was flourishing in Kutiasi and the hall of the Opera House was crowded. “I do not want anybody to think that I am longing for the past. I am simply sorry for the theatre, which is abandoned by everybody and its existence is continuously under question. In the 70-80s of the last century the cultural life of the theatre was going on at full speed. At that time people used to arrive from Tbilisi to see our performances. Today, the situation is too difficult. The theatre must not be closed, but rescued in honor of those people who play the musical instruments with frozen fingers and the audience who sit in the cold hall,” said Lomtadze.

The average salary for musicians in the Kutaisi Opera House is 40-50 lari. They have not received their salaries for three months already. 18 out of 55 soloists are left in the theatre and the board of the theatre has to invite singers from Tbilisi for some performances. It is too expensive for the theatre, which has 200 000GEL in its budget. Employees for the theatre demand an increase in their budget and urge the officials from the City Hall to save the theatre from closing.

Despite the bad mood of the theatre employees, on January 14, the day of the Georgian Theatre, a fire was set to warm the orchestra in the Kutaisi Opera House once more.  Remains of the group performed Victor Dolidze’s everlasting opera “Keto and Kote” for the remaining audience.

   Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi