Manager of the Vana Baskini teater (Old Baskin's Theater) Aarne Valmis told ERR's Kultuur portal that the decision to close the venue down relates to a decision made by the Ministry of Culture not to grant it operating support for this year.

"We have been a thorn in the side of the Ministry of Culture for years," Valmis said.

While the theater had asked for €165,000 for this year, it would have settled for a little under half that as a last resort, he added.

"If we had received €80,000, we would have happily continued operating," Valmis said, adding that the decision to shut up shop had been made after around a month of consideration.

The theater will still mark its 20th anniversary next January even as it will have already have closed, Valmis went on.

The theater had previously taken the ministry to court after being denied a subsidy, and says it is taking this matter to court also.

I don't know if this has been processed, though I think it will be. We will not simply put our hands in our pockets and go cry in a corner, and we will try to establish justice, although we are not very optimistic over the prospects," Valmis added.

The Vana Baskinin teater is a professional actors' venue and is located on Tatari 12. It was founded in 2005 by actor Eino Baskin (1929-2015) from the staff of a previously closed theater.

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