Theatres to receive honorarium for every ticket sold

State and private theatres in Uzbekistan will now receive an additional honorarium of 10,000 soums from the budget for every ticket sold for a performance. This was announced on June 1 during President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s meeting with representatives of the culture and arts sector.

It was noted that after the condition of several theatres in the capital was studied, work began to modernize the National Puppet Theatre, the Muqimi Academic Theatre and the Youth Theatre.

The decision made last year to grant the Alisher Navoi Theatre the authority to independently resolve financial, creative and organizational matters has proved effective. This practice will now be expanded, with the Muqimi, Berdaq and National Puppet theatres to receive the same opportunity this year.

Officials have been instructed to submit a two-year programme for the modernization of other cultural facilities.

The development of private theatres is expected to create a healthy environment of creative competition in the sector. Therefore, starting from September 1, the state will cover the costs of producing 50 stage works annually for private theatres and theatre studios. State-owned cultural facilities will also be provided to them free of charge. If they rent private premises, up to 20 million soums of their monthly rental costs will be covered from the budget.

In addition, private theatres and theatre studios will receive an extra 10,000 soums from the budget for every ticket sold for a performance. This means that if a theatre sells 1,000 tickets, it will receive an additional 10 million soums. If artists stage performances in the regions, the honorarium will amount to 20,000 soums per ticket.