03 July 2025
(Photo: Wikipedia)
The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine has granted academic status to the Yuriy Olesha Odesa Theater for Young Audiences.
According to the ministry, this was a kind of gift for the theater's 95th anniversary.
Prior to that, Odesa had no academic status: Odesa Regional Academic Drama Theater, Opera and Ballet Theater, Vasyl Vasylko Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater, and M. Vodyanyi Musical Comedy Theater.
Odesa Academic Theater for Young Audience named after Yuriy Olesha was founded in 1930. Among its organizers were the first artistic director of the theater, Sofia Manuilovych, and Mykola Zaitsev (a student of Oleksandr Bryantsev). Since 1941, the theater has been named after Mykola Ostrovsky. Since 2016, it has been named after Yuriy Olesha.
Since its foundation, the theater has been located at 12 Teatralnyi Lane. Now it is located in a building at 48 Hretska Street.
In February 2024, deputies of the Odesa Regional Council failed to vote to remove the name of Soviet writer Yuri Olesha from the name of the Young Audience Theater (YUG). The deputies considered a project to remove the name of Yuriy Olesha, which had previously been assigned to the municipal institution Odesa Young Audience Theater. There was no discussion of the issue - the deputies immediately proceeded to the vote. Only 28 out of 84 people present in the hall supported the initiative, which did not allow the decision to be passed.
Yuriy Olesha Street in Odesa was previously renamed in honor of Vitaliy Borovyk.
Yuri Olesha was a Russian Soviet novelist and playwright. At the age of three, he moved to Odesa with his parents from Yelisavethrad (now Kropyvnytskyi). He studied at the Odesa National University named after I. I. Mechnikov National University.
In September 2023, the Odesa Regional State (Military) Administration refused to cancel the tender to select a contractor for the restoration of the Odesa Young Spectator Theater. Olimp Bud Development Limited Liability Company was chosen as the contractor. The company was supposed to complete the work by May 1, 2024. Instead, it was supposed to receive UAH 31 million 714 thousand 287 for the work. However, the completion date was extended by additional agreements.
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