The Association of Small-Town Theaters will be established in Russia, RIA News reports. Russia’s Culture Minister Aleksandr Avdeyev announced at a recent government session.

Actor and artistic director of the Theater of Nations Yevgeny Mironov will head the Association. He is also responsible for work associated with its creation. In the past, the actor has conducted many events in support of theater activities in various regions of Russia.

In his speech during "government hour" in the State Duma, Aleksandr Avdeyev complained about the shortage of theaters in the regions. Presently only 18% of Russian towns have theaters; however, some of those are wonderful places that are unknown to the public, according to Avdeyev. The government is going to compile a registry of small-town theaters, he stated.

In Mr. Avdeyev's opinion, one of the main problems the theater world faces today is the difficulty of adopting a contract system, of which many leading theater figures are in support.

The Association will be fully established by the end of 2011. The aim of the Association is to aid small theaters in their search for locations and financing, as well as in holding guest performances in big cities.

Apart from his successful acting career, Yevgeny Mironov is known for his activities aimed at introducing the work of regional theaters to Moscow and St. Petersburg. ... The actor often invites his well-known colleagues to participate in such projects, which helps to bring together regional and city audiences.