The Pushkin Russian State Academic Drama Theatre (the Theatre, for short), better known as the legendary Alexandrinsky Theatre, is one of the Russia's oldest national theatres. It was established by a decree of the Senate signed by Empress Elisabeth, a daughter of Peter the Great, on 30 August 1756, which was the Day of St. Alexander Nevsky.
It is this theatre that is the forefather of all Russia's theatres, and its foundation date is the birthday of Russian professional theatre. The establishment of the Theatre marked the beginning of Russia's state policy in the area of theatre art.
For two and a half centuries, the Theatre has served as a symbol of the Russian statehood. In the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the main imperial theatre, and emperors of Russia themselves were concerned with its fate.
In 1832, the Theatre received a magnificent building in the centre of Saint Petersburg's Nevsky Avenue; the building was constructed to a design by the great architect Carlo Rossi. This building was named the Alexandrinsky Theatre (in honour of Aleksandra Fyodorovna, the wife of Emperor Nicolas I), and since that time this name has been intimately related to the history of the world dramatic art. This unique complex of buildings is a jewel in the crown of the world architecture protected by UNESCO; it features a five-tier auditorium, a huge stage, palace state lobbies as well as the magnificent facade that has become a symbol of the Northern Capital (as Saint Petersburg is unofficially known in Russia).
The walls of the Theatre remember great people of the Russian state: politicians, generals and people of art. The Theatre was visited by the writers Aleksandr Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Nikolay Gogol, Leo Tolstoy, and Anton Chekhov; the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky; the politicians Aleksandr Gorchakov, Sergey Witte, and Pyotr Stolypin; the general Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim; and many crowned heads of European states.
It is the Theatre that housed the first performances of virtually all the works of Russian drama classics, ranging from Woe from Wit by Alexander Griboyedov to the plays by Alexander Ostrovsky and Anton Chekhov. The Theatre is like a textbook on the history of Russian theatre art. It is the stage of the Theatre that many Russian famous actors played on, ranging from Vasily Karatygin and Alexander Martynov to Nikolay Simonov, Nikolay Cherkasov, Vasily Merkuryev, Igor Gorbachyov, and Bruno Freindlich.
This stage was truly decorated by the talents of famous Russian actresses, from Yekaterina Semyonova, Mariya Savina (the founder of the Russian Theatre Union), and Vera Komisarzhevskaya to Yekaterina Korchagina-Aleksandrovskaya, Yelizaveta Time, and Nina Urgant.
Such great theatre directors as Vsevolod Meyerhold, Leonid Vivien, Grigory Kozintsev, Georgy Tovstonogov, and Nikolay Akimov worked at the Theatre. Such great artists as Alexandre Benois, Konstantin Korovin, Aleksandr Golovin, and Natan Altman as well as such outstanding composers as Alexander Glazunov, Dmitry Shostakovich, and Rodion Shchedrin collaborated with the Theatre.
Among the oldest national theatres of Europe such as the Comedie-Francaise in Paris, the Burgtheater in Vienna, Drury Lane in London, and the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, the Theatre occupies an honoured place and serves as a symbol of Russian national theatre.
The Theatre possesses unique collections of set decorations, costumes, furniture, props, and weapons; the extended museum holdings are worth to be put on display in Russia as well as in other countries in the most prestigious display areas.
Academician Dmitry Likhachyov said and wrote many times that the Alexandrinsky Theatre "is a true national treasure of Russia."
The Neo Cinema is the first cinema of the Kronverk Cinema Network.
Two auditoriums. A wide range of genres. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: night shows. Premiere screening of all the most interesting films of the world cinema. Every Wednesday at 12:10am: pre-premiere screenings.
A comfortable atmosphere. Comfortable chairs. A...
The history of the Yevgeny Vakhtangov Theatre (the Theatre, for short) began long before it was founded. In late 1913, the Student Drama Studio (the Studio, for short) was established by a group of very young, 18–20 year-old, Moscow students who decided to study theatre art according to Stanislavsky's system. Moscow was full of gossip about the Stu...