Ryazan State Drama Theatre

The Ryazan State Order “Badge of Honor” of the regional drama theater was founded in 1787. Its creation was promoted by G.R. Derzhavin, then the theater was called the Opera House. In 1862, the Opera House became the city drama theater, and in 1937 the Ryazan City Theatre became a regional theater. The modern building with a hall for 700 spectators was built in 1961.

In the XIX century, on the stage of the Ryazan Drama Theatre, V. Zhivokini, M.T. Ivanov-Kozelsky, the famous American tragic Ira Aldridge, F. Chaliapin, K.S. Stanislavsky, M. Tarkhanov, M. Yermolova, A. Yablochkin and others performed. In 1899, the Seagull was staged here based on the play by A.P. Chekhov. In the theater there were such performances as “Krechinsky’s Wedding” by A. V. Sukhovo-Kobylin, “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky, “Vassa Zheleznova”, “At the Bottom”, “Petersburgh”, “Children of the Sun” by M. Gorky and others.

In the XX century, the theater continues to put bright, interesting performances. Here were “The Queen of Spades” by A.S. Pushkin, “You call Taimyr” by A. Galich, “The Last” by M. Gorky, “Masquerade” by M. Lermontov and other productions. After the opening of the small experimental stage of the Black Cabinet Theater, designed for 50 spectators, in 2005 it hosted the play "Where Shahrazad lived and sang ...", based on the series of poems by S. Yesenin "Persian motifs". The production was timed to the 110th anniversary of the poet’s birth. Nowadays, the theater actively participates in various festivals and puts new interesting performances.