Program
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.
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.
Contact Information
Address: 34 Dvortsovaya emb., Saint-Petersburg, 190000
Entrance: from the Palace Embankment, 34
Telephone: +7 (812) 710 90 30
E-mail: theatre@hermitage.ru