Culture Ministry merges theaters...

Culture Ministry official Marián Kovačík announced on July 30 that two theaters in Banská Bystrica and one in neighboring Zvolen will be merged to form a single Central Slovak Theater, which will open on September 1, Slovenská Republika reported. This follows a similar move in eastern Slovakia and recent personnel changes at the Slovak National Theater, which is rumored to be connected with aims to merge it with Bratislava's Nová Scéna theater. Culture Minister Ivan Hudec told TASR on July 30 that the current situation of theaters in Slovakia, where almost 25 are financed from the state budget, is unparalleled in developed democracies. Christian Democratic Movement Chairman (KDH) Ján Čarnogurský told Sme that Hudec "had not forgotten anything from the 'normalization' policies of the 1970s and had not learned anything about tolerance."