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Komissarjevsky Theatre

The Komissarjevsky State Academic Drama Theatre is located in the center of the city, in Italian Street adjacent to the Arts Square.

Its fate is unique and keeps the imprint of the turbulent era of the past 150 years. Born during the siege days, the theater is close in spirit to St.Petersburg, the only city in the world history that was built during a war. The 65-year history of the theater is amazing. The brilliant idea to build a covered shopping arcade - The Passage, like in London and Paris, occurred to the head collegiate counselor Count Jacob Essen-Stenbok-Fermor.An imperial decree to permit the construction of the Passage was obtained. Thus, in May 1848, according to a unique project by Architect Rudolf Zhelyazevich, Nevsky Prospekt was connected with Italian Street with a three-tiered glass covered gallery with shops and confectioneries, a waxworks exhibition, a "mechanic and anatomical theater "," living pictures "in the upper floors, a restaurant in the basement and a large auditorium.Since then, St. Petersburg did not depend on the Baltic nasty weather and affectionately called the Passage "living room for friends come together."

In the 1860s the theater hall hosted lectures, as wells literary and dramatic evenings, featuring the great writers Ostrovsky, N. Nekrasov, Turgenev, Y. Polonsky, A.Pisemsky and university professors of history.In an auditorium, amateur troupes played performances. In one of the plays by Alexander Ostrovsky "It's a Family Affair-We'll Settle It Ourselves", the author acted, too.

In 1901, the arcade was rebuilt by the architect Sergei Kozlov. Through the efforts of the new owners of Passage Barjatinsky, the building regained its status of a cultural center. 1901 is considered the official date of opening of the theater.

Now the entrance to the theater and box office lobby underwent reconstruction: before, the audience entered from the "Passage" hall. The first ones to try the stage of the reconstructed, extended, beautifully decorated hall were the actors of the Farce Theater.
Address: 19 Italian Street

Language: English

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