The expected new name, Südalinna teater, is particularly uninspiring, he added, noting that productions put on there will still be in the Russian language in any case.

"The theater will remain Russian-language, as it had been. I don't understand why it needs to be renamed," Allik told ERR's Russian-language portal, adding that if the reasoning for the change is an association with Russia itself, it could simply be renamed the Russian Theater of Estonia, or something similar.

Südalinna Teater gets lost in translation into Russian, he added, as it would mean "the heart of Tallinn" theater, Allik added. The theater is located across the street from Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak).

Current board chair Margus Allikmaa said he was unable to confirm if the theater's new name will indeed be Südalinna Teater, adding that this will be decided at a meeting on Monday.

"The board meeting is to take place on June 9, and on June 10 the theater will announce its new name," continued Allikmaa, also head of the Cultural Endowment Fund (Kultuurikapital) and a former board chair of public broadcaster ERR.

Monday's board meeting, where the name change will be finalized, will also be attended by Ott Karulin, head of the Ministry of Finance's governance division and soon to be director of Viljandi Culture Academy (Viljandi kultuuriakadeemia), sworn attorney Erki Fels, and Ministry of Culture deputy secretary general for cultural diversity Eda Silberg.

ERR wrote on Thursday that the new theater name is expected to be Südalinna Teater.

The name change has been under discussion for over a year, particularly in light of shifting public sentiment since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Theater leadership has stressed a need to balance inclusivity for both Estonian- and Russian-speaking audiences in the renaming.

The Russian Theater opened in 1948 and was renamed the Russian Theater in 2005. Its current director is Anne-Lii Päiv.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!