Musical Theater Director: Salary Is $ 100-200, Artists Make Extra Money On Side By Laying Tiles

Minsk authorities budget only half of the funds for the work of the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theatre.

“Today the average salary in the theatre is four million and a little. The city budget makes half of the assignment, the second part is our earnings – what the theater gets, selling its services. Let it sounds rude, but the theater does sell its art and thus makes money, – director of the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theater Aliaksandr Piatrovich told “Viacherni Minsk.” – It turns out that our salary does not entirely depend on our work. I am returning to the need of the people to go to the theater. If a person wants to go to the theater, then he will buy a ticket, and we, accordingly, will have money for the maintenance of the theatre and cash reward of the theater group. And if not, then there will be no money, of course.

The salary for an artist is means of living, but not profit. The theatre people are working 24 hours a day. They need to feed themselves and the families. If their salary is two million, three or even four million rubles, what can they do? They will be looking for extra money. So today many artists are looking for a second, part time, job. Some of them work as teachers in the educational institutions of culture and art, some of them work as private teachers, some of them sing in church choirs. And some – arrange items on the shelves in the store, lay tile, do repair work.”