The Hermitage Theatre

The Hermitage Theatre is one of the oldest in St. Petersburg and in Russia. It was constructed by the architect by order of Catherine the Great in 1783-1789 on the site of the former Winter Palace of Peter the Great. The auditorium of the theatre was constructed to be similar to one of antiquity: semi-circular rows of seats rise from the stage of the amphitheatre. The walls and colonnades are decorated in coloured, artificial marble. Sculptures of Apollo and the nine muses are located in alcoves and beneath them are bas-reliefs with portraits of famous musicians and poets.
The first season of the Hermitage Theatre opened before the finishing work was completed on 16 November 1785, with a performance of the opera The Miller who was a Wizard, a Cheat and a Matchmaker (music М.М. Sokolovsky, libretto А.О. Ablesimov). On 20 January 1789, the comic opera Kosometovich, the Woeful Knight, with the libretto written by Catherine the Great had its premiere at the theatre.
Under Alexander I masquerade balls were often held here. For three years from 1823 to 1826 the theatre was used as a military parade ground. Later plays were reintroduced.
An interesting chapter in the life of the theatre is associated with the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. In 1894, restoration work was carried out under the supervision of the architect А. F. Kvasov. In 1902, architect Leon Benois completed the theatrical foyer in the style of the rococo. Such artists as F.I. Chaliapin, L.V. Sobinov, M.F. Kshesinskaya, А.P. Pavlova, and А.Ya. Vaganova had performed in this theatre. In 1914, a performance of the play King of the Jews was held. Its author, known by his pseudonym К.R., was the Great Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, a poet and one of the most educated people of his times.
The dramatic events of 1917 could not but be reflected in the life of the theatre. It became the site for the Lunacharsky Workers' University, in the 1930s various concerts, ballet performances and operas were held. In 1935, the theatre ceased to operate.
For many years the location was used for lectures by the State Hermitage Museum. In the early 1980s, a decision was taken to carry out full repairs and restoration on the theatre. As part of the reconstruction the theatre was provided with modern equipment. In January 1991, the Hermitage Theatre opened its doors once again to the public. Today it is one of the most popular stages in St. Petersburg.