As the ITAR-TASS agency reported yesterday, the mayor of the city of Saransk, Ivan Nenyukov, ordered administration employees to attend the theater without fail. The mayor has a decisive attitude towards possible refuseniks: “At first you’ll have to force them.” But in general, Nenyukov is optimistic about the prospects for enlightening Russian bureaucrats: “They’ll get used to it. We will meet monthly, communicate, and recruit friends.” It is not known whether the mandatory cultural outings will be a difficult moral test for the Saransk establishment, but they certainly won’t hurt their pockets: prices for theater tickets in the capital of Mordovia range from 25 to 50 rubles. It can be assumed that Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy will be especially popular among officials, in particular plays such as “Our People – Let’s Be Numbered” and “Profitable Place.”
Yesterday the first visit of officials to the Republican Drama Theater took place. As is clear from a report by an ITAR-TASS correspondent, the mayor and his entourage attended a performance based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s play “Zaykina’s Apartment” (sic! - Ed. ). From this we concluded that it would be a good idea to make going to the theater mandatory not only for officials, but also for employees of news agencies. Just in case, we inform the Tassovites that “ Zoykina’s Apartment” is being shown at the Hermitage Theater and the Moscow Art Theater. Gorky. The editors are ready to provide two free tickets.
