Big stir in Bolshoi Theatre

The opening of the Bolshoi Theatre's main building after reconstruction was a major cultural event of the year. However, the theatre has recently been involved in a series of scandals. According to the Russian media more and more performers are leaving the theatre. In addition, there was a rumour that the theatre's administration is going to start selling tickets with passport information printed on it.

The General Director of the Bolshoi Theatre, Anatoliy Iksanov, explained that passport information will be mentioned only in tickets sold on the Internet and intended for students and pensioners. He also underlined that this practice is widespread in the world. The Bolshoi Theatre thus adopted the practice of Milan's La Scala. The aim of the measure is to prevent touting.

Another scandal was caused by Natalya Osipova and Ivan Vasilyev, who decided to quit their careers in the Bolshoi Theatre for the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. According to media reports, Osipova left the theatre after she was not given a part in ' Sleeping Beauty'. In spite of this, the head of the Bolshoi Theatre's ballet troupe, Sergey Filin, said that this decision was made by the actors themselves and that no one forced them. He also underlined that no one forced Sergey Uvarov to leave the theatre. The performer was tired and decided to quit himself, Filin said.

Asked whether the theatre can prevent its performers from leaving the troupe, Iksanov said that current Russian labour law respects the interests of employees more than those of the employer. So the theatre cannot force actors to stay in the troupe.