On 30 December in Moscow’s Theater.Doc, a small independent performance space, a screening of the Ukranian documentary “Stronger than Arms”, about the events at Kiev’s Maidan, was cut short due to the supposed phone call placed to law-enforcement officials about the placement of a bomb in the theater. 20 policemen together with civil servants from the culture ministry seized the projector, computer and the screen on which the film was shown, evacuated the audience members, destroyed the set and stage furnishings.
This is the first time governmental attack against a Russian theatre after the fall of the Soviet Union. After 13 years, Teatr.doc was forced to move out of his building by beginning of this year. Teatr.doc scheduled a last series of new plays in January, which had to be cancelled now. The plays were politically challenging: “Berlusputin”, a very successful absurd satire, based on “L’ anomalo bicefalo” by Dario Fo, tells about a brain transplantation between Berlusconi and Putin. Another one, “One hour 18 minutes” is about the case of the financial auditor Sergej Magnitski, who died in a remand prison in Moscow.
Links:  Culturebot, Tatr.doc (Russian), Der Standard (German)

A new study published by EY (formerly Ernst & Young) to the European Commission shows that cultural and creative industries are among the EU’s biggest employers and have experienced sustained growth even through recession. Jean-Noël Tronc, CEO of French authors’ society Sacem, commented that “The creative and cultural sectors are an integral part of the digital economy.” No doubt that culture will kept as far as possible as an integral part of the Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the US and the EU!
Over 1,1 Million people in the EU have already signed the Stop TTIP campaign.