A Moscow children's puppet theater is fighting for its survival after being told by Russian oil giant LUKoil to move out.
Located next door to the firm's headquarters in downtown Moscow, the state-run Magic Lamp theatre occupies the first floor of an early 20th-century building part-owned by LUKoil.
Founded over 20 years ago, the theatre and its puppets are in danger of being turfed out after LUKoil announced plans to close the 1915 building down for restoration.
LUKoil spokesman Dmitry Dolgov said the firm "is ready to pay for the relocation and rent out a venue for the theater during the time of the closure," but the plans have caused alarm among Magic Lamp staff, who fear that any move away from the building will be permanent.
"The theater will die if we leave the building, even for a short while: we will lose both our spectators and our troupe. It will be a disaster," artistic director Marina Gribanova told a news conference on Thursday. "This is our nest, we have built it with our own hands."
She also said they have nowhere to take their puppets.
"They didn't offer us anything in return - we were tasked with searching for a stand-in location ourselves," Gribanova said.
LUKoil argues that it is just a matter of time before the building restoration work becomes essential.
Its structures, spokesman Dolgov said, need "a bit of strengthening up."
"It is not our whim," he said. "A survey has showed the building is in need of repair."
He admitted, however, that "it is not in an emergency condition."
LUKoil says the theater will be able to return after the repairs are completed, and has promised to give it a further 190 sq m worth of facilities. Gribanova says they have been given no indication as to when that might be.
Gribanova also said LUKoil has no authority over the theater.
"It belongs to the Moscow city government. To me, it looks like LUKoil are putting themselves above it," she said.
Concerns have also been raised that the building - one of the very few historic buildings that have survived years of threat from developers - could eventually simply be burnt, bulldozed and blighted to make way for a class A office block.
Leaving all those puppets in search of alternative employment.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
MOSCOW, January 29 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Korolyov)
