“Moscow is experiencing a boom in theater construction, a testament both to the importance Russian leaders place on the nation’s capital as a cultural showcase and to the money from oil and other commodities flowing through the city’s coffers… The theater construction boom is part of a general real estate boom in Moscow fueled by the success of Russia’s raw materials and commodities market, which has allowed the city to lavish money on things like the Moscow International Performance Arts Center, a performing arts complex intended to be the city’s answer to Lincoln Center, and all the theaters sprouting up around town. There are more than a half-dozen other major construction or reconstruction projects slated for next year.”