Tartu's Genialistide Klubi loses two long-term subtenants
Bar Möku and theatre Must Kast are leaving Tartu's underground culture hub Genialistide Klubi, citing their own growth needs and uncertainty over the club's future. Meanwhile a resolved noise issue means the club can now receive city funding.
Tartu's Genialistide Klubi, one of the city's main underground culture venues, is losing two of its longtime subtenants — bar Möku and theatre Must Kast. Both cite a wish to keep developing as well as the uncertainty that has surrounded the club's future for about a year and a half, ever since neighbors complained about noise.
Throughout this year the club has operated under continued uncertainty, as fixing its soundproofing issues and securing funding for future operations dragged on. Now both subtenants have found new premises. Must Kast's director, Merilin Elge, said the theatre was warmly welcomed by the club when it was founded, but its needs have changed considerably over the years and the club can no longer meet them. The theatre is moving to the Estonian National Museum, whose black box space and technical facilities better suit its creative work. Elge also pointed to a need for stability and confidence about the future, which she said the club currently cannot offer.
The theatre will relocate by the end of September, while Möku will open in December at the site of Estonia's oldest river ferry. Möku has until now covered a significant share of the club's costs. Owner Kaarel Jõudvald said the company believes in the building and prefers long-term investment, as shown by what it has already put into the space, adding he hopes the building — and the club — will have a future, since Tartu needs it.
Because of the soundproofing problems, the club had not been receiving the city's annual subsidy of around 45,000 euros. That situation has now changed, as recent measurements show noise levels meet the required standard. Sten Svetljakov, head of the Tartu city government's culture department, said the city can now pay the club a program subsidy, with the exact amount depending on the club's application and how many events it has held and planned.
Club representatives say they believe new tenants will be found for the vacated spaces and that operations will continue, possibly with some program adjustments. Administrator Juhan Kari said the club will prepare a strong application demonstrating its continued genre diversity, while paying closer attention to noise levels going forward and possibly excluding in advance certain music styles requiring very heavy bass. Concerts, theatre productions and various initiatives will remain the core of the program.
