The name change followed the changed security situation, but has also met with criticism. The theater will continue to put on productions in the Russian language.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, theater supervisory board chair Margus Allikmaa said: "I know that this name can be criticized in many ways, starting with the idea that we're somehow provincializing the theater, as if we don't have any greater ambitions. But drawing a parallel with [Tallinn's] Old Town Theater, it was known across Estonia. This theater's goal is not to play only for Tallinn – a large part of the audience is in Ida-Viru County."

Allikmaa, head of the national Cultural Endowment Fund (Kultuurikapital) and a former board chair at ERR also spoke more at length on the broader reasons for changing the name. "The situation for the Russian Theater has changed quite a lot. It is no longer viable to invite directors or designers from Russia. That already changes a lot. A generational shift is also taking place. That, too, means a change in the theater's output. The third and most important sign is that the theater has a new artistic director, who has expressed in several interviews how a modern theater, that clearly belongs to Europe, should look. He is concerned that our current viewer generation is 55 plus, or even older. The audience will disappear if we don't think about the new viewer," Allikmaa went on.

Allikmaa confirmed the theatre will continue to perform in Russian, but will start to use many more texts by Estonian authors, in the interests of integration. "The Russian Theater can make a much greater contribution to integration," he added.

The venue also faces a 15 percent cut to its budget. Allikmaa said the theater's budget will still be larger than that of many others.

"The Russian Theater now definitely has to review its staff and change its structure," he added.

Allikmaa said at the press conference that discussions on changing the name had begun a year ago, after which 55 potential names were proposed.

"When I saw the name Südalinna Theatre in that list, it made me happy. It matched very well with the theater's already come up with slogan – a theater in the heart of the city. It seemed like quite a lovely solution. It also sounds very pleasant, very warm in Estonian. It also describes the theater," he said.

The name change also needs to be recorded in the theater's statutes, which get amended by the Ministry of Culture. "We'll submit a proposal to the Minister of Culture to change the statutes. Once that is done, the theater's new name will be official," Allikmaa concluded.

The theater is located across the street from Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak) itself, next to the Teater nightclub.

--

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