There are so many theaters and concert halls in St. Petersburg that would be enough for a small European country. Its inhabitants have always been known as theater-goers and music lovers, because it is their city that is called the cultural capital of Russia. Among the many scenes there are both ancient, having their own history, and modern theaters of St. Petersburg. The list is headed by "old-timers" of the Northern capital.
Mariinskii Opera House
This scene is perhaps famous not only in St. Petersburg or Russia, but throughout the theater world. Opened by decree of Catherine the Great in 1783 as the Bolshoi Theater, it immediately became a concentration of the cultural life of the city. The whole high society came to the performances, and both domestic and invited foreign artists participated in the productions.
Later the opera company was transferred to the Circus Theater, but after it burned down in 1859, a building was erected in its place, which is now known as the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theater.
In the Soviet period, it bore the name "Kirovsky", but since 1992 it regained its original name, which was given to him in honor of the wife of Tsar Alexander 2 - Mary. The collective repertoire includes both operas and ballets of Russian and foreign classics, as well as modern productions. If we compare all the musical theaters of St. Petersburg, the list of actors who played in the Mariinsky Theater, as the townspeople affectionately call him, will be the longest, and his orchestra, which is run by V.A. Gergiev is one of the best music groups in the world.
Today he has two more scenes, he participates in numerous festivals, and there is always a full house at his performances.
Drama theaters
Alexandrinsky is a St. Petersburg “old-timer” who was founded by decree of Empress Elizabeth in 1756 as a public theater for performances of comedies and tragedies.
The building, which everyone knows today as the Pushkin Drama Theater, was built in 1832 by the great architect Karl Rossi, and the name, as usual used by Petersburgers, it received in honor of the wife of Nikolai 1 Alexandra.
The collective repertoire includes several dozen performances of Russian and foreign classics, and the opening of a new stage in 2013, equipped with the latest achievements of theater technology, allows you to stage the most fantastic productions.
If we consider the more “young” drama theaters of St. Petersburg, then it is worth mentioning the Maly Drama Theater, which was founded in 1944, but reached the world level only with the arrival of Lev Dodin as its artistic director. Today it has the status of a theater in Europe.
The collective employs 53 actors, thanks to their talent and skill the Maly Drama Theater received numerous awards not only in Russia but also abroad.
For those who love comedy
There are not many scenes in the world on which solely comedy performances are staged. The comedy theater (St. Petersburg) named after Akimov is just that.
It is located in the building of the former trading company "Eliseev Brothers". The world fame for the theater was brought by its artistic director Nikolai Pavlovich Akimov. It was he who laid the traditions and manner of acting, which continues to bring success to the team today.
If we consider other comedy theaters in St. Petersburg, the list can safely continue with the only scene in the city on which comedies in the musical genre are staged. Founded as far back as Nicholas 2, this theater was supposed to become a folk theater, the purpose of which was to introduce a common people to art and distract from drunkenness.
In 1928, the Music Hall was opened here, the work of the composer Dunaevsky and the artist Leonid Utesov brought great popularity to it. In 1936, the theater was closed for the spread of Western art, and it returned only in 1966. The theater’s repertoire includes the best world musicals and modern music shows collecting full houses at any time of the year.
Theater life
It would not be right to come to stay in Petersburg and not to visit any of its theatrical scenes. After 1990, when art in Russia could become truly free from Soviet censorship, many new talented groups appeared in the city.
If you choose a trip to the unusual theaters of St. Petersburg, the list may consist of numerous stage venues on which young talented actors are experimenting.
For example, the art-basement “Stray Dog”, known at the beginning of the 20th century, in which creative intelligentsia and poets of the Silver Age gathered, at the end of the same century resumed its activity, becoming a place for solo performances and literary evenings.