Drama
Theatre

The Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre deserves its fame as a pioneer theatre company. Actors from the present-day troupe are well-known in Russia: they are often seen in films and on television and their performance on stage attracts many visitors to the theatre.

Visitors coming to the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts, or GITIS, are in for a special treat. Many students are around the theatre, which is not surprising, given that students are involved in performances, which are full of extraordinary atmosphere.

One of Moscow’s most popular theatres, the Et Cetera Theatre was founded in the 1990s. Alexander Kalyagin, one of the most brilliant Russian actors of the past decades, is the founder and the director of the theatre, he stages and performs in many plays.

The Estrada Theatre works with different theatrical genres and puts performances by different troupes, mostly comedy ones. The theatre is situated on the Bersenevskaya Embankment, in the well-known House on the Embankment, since it moved here in 1961.

The Praktika Theatre located in central Moscow is an ultra-modern theatre, experimental in many ways. It was founded in 2005 by Eduard Boyakov, who was on the lookout for new art forms, striving to understand what art should look like in the modern world.

The Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army can definitely be rated as one of the most visited and loved theatrical venues in Moscow. There are a large auditorium which seats 1,520 people, and a stage boasting enormous floor space, the largest in Europe.

Famous Moscow drama theatre, Mossovet Theatre, whose history dates back to the 1930s, is located in a city garden called Aquarium. The transitions of two most prominent ideologists of the 20th century theatre K. Stanislavsky and Y. Vakhtangov are alive here.

If you are ready for a dose of inspiration seasoned with faith in a bright future, a visit to a student theatre will make good sense for you. The performances are sometimes a kind of exam in dancing or physical plasticity, and can be understood without words.

The Taganka Theatre has known glorious days and a split, and today it continues to defend the right to assert its vision and reading of literary works. The theatre upholds delicately the traditions of its legendary founder and director Yuri Lyubimov.

The renowned Sovremennik Theatre is located in the centre of Moscow. At the origin of the theatre was a group of young actors and directors who had just graduated from the Moscow Art Theatre School. Many of them became well-known and popular.

Renowned troupe, talented directors, varied repertoire and deep-rooted traditions have made the Vakhtangov Theatre popular with Muscovites and visitors to Russia’s capital for the past 95 years. It is located in the heart of the old Arbat street.

After World War II it was decided to create in Moscow the Drama Theatre on Malaya Bronnaya. However, success came to him only in the 1960s with the coming of director Anatoly Efros and new actors. Today the creative team is headed by Sergey Golomazov.

Vsevolod Meyerhold Centre is one of the most original theatres in Moscow. Its repertoire successfully combines the theatre’s vast professional experience with innovative ideas and often tries experiments. It holds an annual Russian Golden Mask festival.

Shalom Jewish Theatre is one of Moscow's landmarks. The repertoire of the theatre is based mostly on classical and modern works by Jewish authors, which are invariably full of gentle or grim humour. The troupe gives performances in Russian.

The Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre is undoubtedly one of the best theatres in Moscow, a symbol of the theatrical scene of the 20th century. Today the leading contemporary actors of different ages work in the theatre company directed by Oleg Tabakov.

The Theatre of Nations is like a big theatre festival that lasts all year round. It presents productions of the best Russian and foreign directors, for example, widely-renowned Robert Lepage, legendary Eimuntas Nekrošius, or famous Robert Wilson.

The Pyotr Fomenko Workshop Theatre is a modern theatre which has became arguably the best dramatic theatre in Moscow. The 'Fomenkis' (as the actors of this theatre are known) manage to combine deep interpretation of material with its airy production.

Tucked away in a most ordinary-looking courtyard of Moscow’s Clear Ponds is the Studio Theatre, created under the leadership of People’s Artist of the USSR Oleg Tabakov (1935-2018). Both actors and spectators fondly call this theatre the Tabakerka (‘snuffbox’).

Well-established traditions, legendary productions, eminent directors and celebrated artists of Mayakovsky Theatre have long become a part of Russian cultural heritage. Mindaugas Karbauskis has been directing the Mayakovsky Theatre since 2011.

Mikhail Levitin has been the Hermitage Theatre’s director since 1987. He has put together a creative team of like-minded artists working in the spirit of an eccentric perception of the world. Shows staged at the theatre are often noisy and hectic.

Moscow’s Nikitskiye Vorota Theatre evolved from a simple amateur studio of enthusiastic young actors headed by the talented director Mark Rozovsky. In a short span of time it turned into an exceptionally professional and accomplished team ready to work hard.

Sfera Drama Theatre differs markedly from common stereotypes with principles underlying the choice of repertoire, and creative approach to the organization of the troupe. Muscovites and visitors to the capital enjoy the enchanting atmosphere of the theatre.

Founded in the 18th century, the Maly Theatre is one of the oldest theatres in Russia. It puts on some of the best performances of classical Russian literature, focusing on plays by A. Ostrovsky and A. Chekhov. The theatre has the status of national patrimony.

People’s Artist of Russia Roman Viktyuk made a splash in Moscow’s theatrical life in the 1980s. As a director of Roman Viktyuk Theatre, he transformed the dramatic arts into magical comedy shows overflowing with drive, talent and excitement.

The Satirikon Theatre is the creation of the legendary actor Arkady Raykin. His ideas were taken up and promoted by his son and colleague, Konstantin. Thus, the Satirikon Theatre passed from variety miniature shows to full-scale dramatic performances.

The Theatre Art Studio, under the directorship of Sergey Zhenovach (STI), is a new Moscow theatre, where classical works are cherished and staged with great success. People don’t come here to see renowned actors, but it is a 'sincere and non-bustling' place.

In 2012, the Yermolova Moscow Drama Theatre underwent major renovation. New artistic director, People’s Artist of Russia Oleg Menshikov, breathed new life into the old house on Tverskaya Street. He updated the repertoire and made the theatre a major venue.

The Russian Academic Youth Theatre (abbreviated RAMT in Russian) focuses on performances for young audiences. For decades, the theatre located on Teatralnaya Square has remained a favourite for young Muscovites and visitors to the capital alike.

A very unusual cultural institution, the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre, is located in Tverskaya street close to the Garden Ring. Its doors are open every day, and it is a truly modern theatre. Boris Yukhananov is artistic director of the theatre.

Lenin’s Komsomol Theatre (or just ‘Lenkom’) is one of the best theatres in the country. Director Mark Zakharov managed to surround himself with people sharing the same ideas, obtained the collaboration of the best artists, poets, composers and stage designers.

The Gorky Moscow Academic Art Theatre (MKhAT) is located in Tverskoy Boulevard just opposite the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre. The theatre is an immediate heir of the Art Theatre created in 1898 by the world famous K. Stanislavsky and V. Nemirovich-Danchenko.

Glas Spiritual Theatre is the only theatre in Moscow that has received the blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church. Excerpts from the Gospels, canons and prayers have all become part of the performances, a novelty after the fall of the Soviet Union.