Valyantsin Elizaryeu banged door of National opera and ballet theatre (Photo, video)

National Opera and Ballet Theatre’s artistic director Valyantsin Elizaryeu handed in notice.

It has been stated by the People's Artist of Belarus at a press-conference in Minsk today.

“Since today I do not hold the position of the artistic director of the theatre any more. On January 12, 2009 I handed in a notice to the Minister of Culture on my voluntary withdrawal. On January 17 my notice was signed,” Elizaryeu said.

The reason for Elizaryeu’s withdrawal was offering him only the position of the artistic director of the ballet. A different person has been appointed by the Ministry of Culture to work as the director of the National Academic Big Theatre of opera and ballet of Belarus.

But that’s not all. Valyantsin Elizaryeu, who had been working in the opera and ballet theatre for 36 years, explained his withdrawal from the Opera and Ballet Theatre where in the following way:

“It is a conflict between an official and an artist, to say the least of it. All the deadlines of the theatre’s reconstruction are broken. I was visiting the construction site for 3.5 years every week. Rebuilding of the theatre is carries out with great violations, all the deadlines are ignored. I would say that the rebuilding is done in “lingering” terms. Artists have become hostages of the officials’ incompetence. There are no premises for rehearsal of the choir, for rehearsal of orchestras. We all are waiting for the working premises (not mentioning the ceremonial ones and the hall) would be finished, so that the people won’t stay outdoors at least.

It is terrible what the opera and ballet were doing in the House of Officers and in the Palace of Republic, which do not suit for theatre performances. Artists, who continued work in such conditions behaved courageously and amazingly. The years of the rebuilding have been spent by the artists in dust, in a mess, sometimes without heating. One day of renting the stage of the Palace of Republic where the theatre company costs 8.000 Euro,” the former artistic director of the theatre noted.

Elizaryeu has also emphasised the problem of low salaries of the theatre’s artists.

“I think that the problem with artists is the most important one. Unfortunately, drain of cadres is taking place both in our theatre and in other theatres. It happens because of the low payment for labour. I have written a letter to Lukashenka. He responded and signed a decree on increasing salaries by 75%. But only 45% have been received by the theatre, and for some reason it has been added to the scale of charges of the whole staff register. And a Distinguished Actress receives the same raise in salary as a person who has just come to the theatre. In general, there is no justice. The Minister of Culture does not understand that the building of the theatre could be built, and the company could be destroyed. People, and not the building of the theatre, are the most important thing,” the artist has summed up.

As said by Elizaryeu, he was to pay for criticism of the process of the theatre’s reconstruction.

“I was pushing for quality, I was speaking my mind, made lots of statements and used gross terms, and I was quickly removed from all commissions on renovation. They started to push me aside from the process of reconstruction and from possibility to control the quality and competence of adopted decisions,” he tells.

Elizaryeu has also noted that he had been working in the Belarusian ballet for 36 years. “Yesterday I carried out already my archive from the theatre. None of the top officials, neither the Culture Minister, nor his assistant, haven’t even said “thank you” for me. Only artists of the company addressed me with a request not to leave the theatre. They were the only who wished me goodbye, who said kind words to me. They are trying to fight for me. It is very precious and sacred for me. It’s recognition of me as an artist, as a leader. My soul is simply tearing asunder because I have to part with them,” the People’s artist said.

“I have been working in the theatre for 36 years, and 17 out of them as a director and an artistic director of the opera and ballet theatre. And this theatre does not need my knowledge, experience, managerial and impresario theatrical agent skills! I cannot see that and accept that, not respecting my labour and the theatre itself,” Elizaryeu said.

Speaking about his plans for the future, V. Elizaryeu noted that “if invited, I am ready to work with a Belarusian company”. He also said that he is ready to put on plays in Russia.

“All the years of my work in Belarus I refused from offers to work abroad, in order not to duplicate my plays made at the Belarusian stage,” he noted. He also said that over the year 2008 “the ballet theatre has brought to the state at least 120,000 dollars of net income”.