News In Brief

New director of a Moscow theater addresses unrest

The man chosen to replace Yuri Lyubimov, the respected director fired from a top Moscow theater for remaining abroad, warned his actors Wednesday that he would not tolerate dissension in their ranks.

Anatoly Efros, the new artistic director of the famed Taganka Theater, said he wanted an end to internal dissension. His statement, published in the intellectual weekly Literaturnaya Gazeta, followed accusations by some actors that Efros had betrayed Lyubimov, theater sources said.

Lyubimov established the Taganka as one of Moscow's most avant-garde theaters and fought endless battles with cultural ministry watchdogs for the right to stage innovative and daring productions.