The musical "Cats in Space" on the Russial stage. Theatercal and raw materials economy. A pumping and glorification. Reflections of the cultural observer Vladimir Zalessky. A culturological note
Аннотация: The musical "Cats in Space" on the Russial stage. Theatercal and raw materials economy. A pumping and glorification. Reflections of the cultural observer Vladimir Zalessky. A culturological note.
The musical "Cats in Space" on the Russial stage. Theatercal and raw materials economy. A pumping and glorification. Reflections of the cultural observer Vladimir Zalessky. A culturological note.
In the miniature "To push through a content for the reporting on results. To create mirages" we wrote: "How many film and theater actors are there in Russia? Let's say 50,000 (fifty thousand)."
It was a guess.
We did a little internet search.
What have we found?
"Today there are more than 600 theaters in the country" (2019) [unofficial translation] https://2019.culture.ru/about
"There were 641 state theaters in our country at the beginning of 2020." [unofficial translation] https://zen.yandex.ru/media/kultprogulka/skolko-v-nashei-strane-gosudarstvennyh-teatrov-i-dostatochno-li-ih-5eac0034e5df9626aacc9aad
"In August 2018, the Laboratory of the Future Theater at GITIS published its census of Moscow theaters. It turned out almost twice as many - 439. (...) We managed to identify: 390 theaters in Moscow " [unofficial translation] https://yandex.ru/promo/yavteatre/theatres_moscow
In St. Petersburg, there are more than 100 [111] theaters and theater groups.
In the section of the handbook devoted to culture, it is indicated that there are 651 theaters in Russia today. [unofficial translation] http://vse-fakty.ru/site-map/articles/fakty-obshchestvennoy-zhizni/842-skolko-v-rossii-teatrov
Let's perform a conditional calculation: 651 multiply by 100 equals 65100.
So our estimate of 50,000 is quite plausible.
History recorded an attempt to conduct a census of a theater (creative) workers, which was announced in 2014 by Sofia Apfelbaum, Director of the Department of State Support for Arts of the Ministry of Culture [директор департамента государственной поддержки искусства и народного творчества Минкультуры Софья Апфельбаум]. We were unable to find the results of this census.
Discussions on the topics "What is theater?", "What can be considered a theater?" interesting in themselves, but we leave them outside the scope of this note.
Next, we were interested in: what is the amount of state funding for all theaters existing in Russia?
This topic was discussed especially activly in 2019.
"In 2018, theaters received 69 billion rubles from the state. (...)
In Russia, 619 theaters give performances, their total income in 2018 amounted to more than 99,5 billion rubles. The theaters themselves earned 30,8 billion rubles, the rest - government subsidies and grants. (...)
The average revenue from a sold-out performance is 2 million rubles at a production cost of up to 15 million rubles. (...) Nevertheless, each ticket purchased in 2018 was subsidized by the state for an average of 1.700 [one thousand seven hundred] rubles. " [unofficial translationon] (https://www.forbes.ru/obshchestvo/381281-teatralnyy-karman-zachem-gosudarstvo-tratit-na-teatry-69-mlrd-rubley-v-god)
After this point, our reasoning goes in two directions.
First direction. What interest is all this information for a modern Russial literary figure?
In about the years that have passed since the beginning of the 21st century, the national book market in Russia has been destroyed.
The system of normal publishing houses, the system of selling books, the system of literary honorariums, systems that have been created for centuries are now practically absent.
Now the bulk of literary figures are directed to Internet platforms. Either to online platforms for selling books or to platforms for posting works for free (without payments).
Well, let's not write about sad things over and over again ...
But an oasis remained: this is the sphere of theater and cinema!
Here, a literary figure, with certain knowledge and skills, can receive quite significant literary honorariums.
The second line of our reasoning. A benefit from the existing "theater system".
I would like to think idealistically.
Here is a modern Russial schoolchild ... How does the family, school, general social environment influence him? What qualities are brought up in him?
A hypothetical schoolchild begins attending a theater working in the city where he lives ...
Everything in a schoolchild is changing for the better: both morality and intellectual qualities ... He is getting better and better (as a human, as a person) ...
Something I do not believe in the reality of such a plot ...
After one or two visits, the schoolchild may lose interest in the local theater ...
May be, to put on the performances "Mass murders within the family", "Tragedies of the Moscow Metro"! Or "The Moment of Truth. In November of 2021"!
Perhaps such performances (on contemporary themes) will attract young people and bring up exalted qualities in them?
In 2018, theaters received 69 billion rubles from the state.
How much did they get in 2021? During an Internet search, we did not find the corresponding figure.
Let's say 80 billion rubles.
We divide 80 billion rubles by the conditional US dollar exchange rate (71 rubles). We get 1.126.760.563 (one billion one hundred twenty six million seven hundred sixty thousand five hundred sixty three) US dollars.
"Two musicals -" Cats "and "Les Misérables" - grossed over $ 10 billion (...) "The Phantom of the Opera" is the highest-grossing entertainment project of all time: according to FT, as of January 2016, the international gross was $ 6 billion.
Cameron Mackintosh [producer of the musicals Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera] owns eight theaters in the UK. (...) As of January 2016, he has invested £ 45 million in the first seven theaters.
These investments paid off in full. Theater management company Delfont Mackintosh [Delfont Mackintosh Theatres] posted a pre-tax profit of £ 14.2m and £ 44m in revenue in 2015, FT writes. In general, the newspaper notes, the theater sector in London has been flourishing for the past ten years ... " [unofficial translationon] (https://www.rbc.ru/newspaper/2016/10/14/57fcc8539a7947a5005ff0e1)
It remains to compare $ 10 billion and $ 6 billion, on the one hand, and $ 1 billion (1.126.760.563; one billion one hundred twenty six million seven hundred sixty thousand five hundred sixty three US dollars), on the other hand ...
November 19, 2021 - November 20, 2021
Translation from Russian into English: November 20, 2021 11:52.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский "Мюзикл "Кошки в космосе" на российской сцене. Театрально-сырьевая экономика. Прокачивание и прославление. Размышления культурного обозревателя Владимира Залесского. Культурологическая заметка".
{ 2549. Мюзикл "Кошки в космосе" на российской сцене. Театрально-сырьевая экономика. Прокачивание и прославление. Размышления культурного обозревателя Владимира Залесского. Культурологическая заметка.
MMDXIX. The musical "Cats in Space" on the Russial stage. Theatercal and raw materials economy. A pumping and glorification. Reflections of the cultural observer Vladimir Zalessky. A culturological note. (English). }