Construction of what the Tajik president's official website boasts will be “Central Asia's largest theater” has been temporarily suspended.

In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the Minister of Culture, Shamsiddin Orumbekzoda, revealed on February 7 that construction of the National Theater of Tajikistan in Dushanbe has been temporarily suspended for financial reasons.

“The facility is large and construction of it requires time and money.  The construction has been temporarily suspended but it will be resumed soon,” the minister said.         

Due to suspension of the construction works the National Theater is expected to be finished in 2019 or 2020, Orumbekzoda added.

Recall, under amendments made to the country’s law on the national budget for 2018 the company constructing the National Theater of Tajikistan is exempted from paying value added tax (VAT) and income tax in 2018.

The Directorate for Construction of Government Facilities at President’s Executive Office controls the construction works.

About 680 million somoni have reportedly been allocated for construction of the new theater.  

President Emomali Rahmon laid the theater’s cornerstone on March 17, 2015.  The five-story building will abut the National Museum in the flagpole area.

The building will include three large concert halls. The largest is reportedly projected to have a seating capacity of 2,400 and possess necessary world-class features.  The two other halls will have seating capacities of 1,200 and 1000 respectively. 

A total space of the theater will be 7,480 square meters.  The theater that will have exhibit and art rooms is expected to host various cultural events.

Once completed, it will expand a list of ambitious projects implemented in Dushanbe.  Earlier projects include what was briefly the world’s tallest flagpole, completed in 2011.  Tajikistan also claims to have Central Asia’s largest library (completed in 2012), biggest museum (2013) and largest teahouse (2014).

Meanwhile, some experts say Tajikistan does not appear to have an abundance of theatregoers, nor does it need more theaters.

Thus, the 500-seat hall of Dushanbe’s Abulqosim Lohouti Academic Theater is reportedly often nearly empty.  Only when school groups come, it is half full.  It is a similar story at other theatres in Dushanbe.

Theatre lovers reportedly say that the end of state subsidies after the fall of the Soviet Union left drama troupes and art schools underfunded.