In the 1870s, a city square, named after Mickiewicz, appeared. In the beginning, the Theatre of the Moniuszko Music Society was constructed here; the Theatre had a great influence on the history and culture of the Ukrainians. A competition for the best design of the Theatre building was announced. The first prize was awarded to a V. Milkovsky, an engineer.
During the solemn opening of the Theatre, which took place on 29 November 1891, it became apparent that Milkovsky was a nickname of the engineer Yu. Lapitsky who received a golden ring from the grateful citizens. At that time, the Theatre had a somewhat different appearance. The contemporary appearance was acquired by the Theatre in the 1930s.
In 1905, the Theatre's stage saw performances of the Russian (Ukrainian) Conversation Theatre led by the outstanding Ukrainian stage director and actor Nikolay Sadovsky (1856–1933), who performed in Ivan Karpenko-Kary's drama "Burlak".
In 1928, spectators listened enthusiastically to art songs and other kinds of songs performed by the genius Salomeya Krushelnitskaya, an opera singer of the world reputation.
In 1939, the Franko Musical Drama Theatre occupied the building.
On 14 November 1943 (during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine), something unique in the history of the world theatre happened. During a premiere of Yaroslav Barnich's operetta "Sharik", the Gestapo people burst into the auditorium, interrupted the performance and arrested 140 people; on 17 November, 27 out of them were sentenced to the execution by firing squad.
By an adjacent synagogue, 10 stakes were fixed in the ground; the arrested people were tied to them and shot in turn. The convicted faced their sentence with dignity. They died calling out "Glory to Ukraine!" and singing the song "Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished" (now the anthem of Ukraine). A part of the arrested were sent to forced labour to Nazi Germany. This was how the Nazis tried to stop the guerilla fighting against the occupation regime and to intimidate the Ukrainians.
In 1980, the Franko Musical Drama Theatre obtained a new building, and since then the Theatre's former building has been occupied by the Philharmonic Hall.
Our Theatre was started not with the idea but talented students graduating the School Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre in 1990, where I taught then. The guys did not scatter but began to work together. It was without me at first. I did not dream about my own theatre yet. They rehearsed something in different corners of Moscow and I helped them to s...
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