Yerevan Opera House to close for repairs?

Amid the plans to start repairs at the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, the creative groups voice concerns that their employment contracts were this year extended only for two months instead of one year (as done previously).

But the Opera House director, Kamo Hovhannisyan, says the groups will continue working, and get paid. Speaking to Tert.am, he confirmed the report on the plans to launch repairs in 1-1.5 months.

“Yes, this year we signed the contracts for two months because the theatre may close down for a couple of months,” he said, emphasizing that only the Opera stage will undergo repairs.

“The stage will be closed, but the rehearsal rooms will operate. We are going to work, in general and have two new performances for this year,” Hovhannisyan added.

He said further that the repairs will be implemented through budgetary allocations and loans from an Austrian financing company.
As to how the theatre is going to work without the stage, Hovhannisyan said that the administration has decided to bridge that gap by staging performances in other cities and towns.

The list of the two performances includes two operas - Carmen (Georges Bizet) and La Boheme ( Giacomo Puccini)-, and one ballet – Giselle.