On Monday, the 9th of June, the board of the Tallinn Central Theatre agreed to change its name, which means that the former Russian Theatre (Vene teater) will soon be officially renamed the Südalinna Theatre, reports Estonian broadcaster ERR.
The name change is due to the changing security situation.
Margus Allikmaa, chairman of the theatre’s board, said at a press conference that discussions on the name change started a year ago, after which 55 possible names were proposed.
“When I saw the name Südalinna Theatre on that list, it made me happy. It fitted very well with the slogan of the theatre that we had already come up with – theatre in the heart of the city. In Estonian it also sounds very pleasant, very warm. It also describes the theatre,” he said.
SÜDALINNA MEANS “HEART OF THE CITY” IN ESTONIAN.
Allikmaa confirmed that the theatre will continue to stage plays in Russian, but will start using much more texts by Estonian authors in the interests of integration, adding that “Russian theatre can contribute much more to integration”.
He said the theatre’s new name could be criticised as being too local, but compared it to Tallinn’s well-known Old Town Theatre. He stressed that the aim is to serve not only Tallinn, but also a wider audience in the Ida-Viru area.
The name change is also due to the changes in the situation of the Russian Theatre, which no longer invites talent from Russia, and the direction of the theatre is determined by the younger generation. The theatre has a new artistic director who wants a modern, European-style theatre, and there are concerns that the current audience is mostly over 55, and could disappear without attracting younger audiences.
The theatre’s budget has also been cut by 15%. However, Allikmaa said that its budget would still be higher than many other theatres.
The name change must also be registered in the theatre’s statutes, which are amended by the Ministry of Culture to make the name official.