The Alexandrinsky Theatre

Address: 1 Ostrovsky Square
Matinee performances begin at 11:30 a.m.
Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. unless announced otherwise.

The Alexandrinsky (Pushkin Academic Drama) theatre troupe was founded in 1756. In 1832, the building that presently houses the Pushkin Academic Drama Theatre was erected in honour of Russia's victory over Napoleon. The theatre, designed by Carlo Rossi, is crowned by a quadriga of galloping horses. The building is distinguishable from other architecture in Saint-Petersburg because of its magnificent and simple style of beauty. In 1856 the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna instituted comedy and tragedy in Russian theatre and ordered that the name of the theatre be shortened to the Russian Court Theater. The 19th century also marked the renaming of the theatre group, it was renamed as The Russian Drama Troupe of the Saint-Petersburg Emperor Theatres. After the revolution the group became the Russian Drama Troupe of the State Petrogradsky theatres, and then the State Academic Associated Theatre.

In 1937, Russia commemorated the centennial anniversary of Alexander Pushkin's death, and the building was renamed as The Pushkin State Academic Drama Theatre. Since 1991 it has been called Pushkin Academic Drama Theatre. Despite the theater's name in comemmoration of Pushkin, the theatre is more frequently called the "Alexandrinsky". This name dates back to 1832? when the new building in the centre of the city was named after Alexandra, the wife of the Czar Nicholas I.

BDT (The Big Drama Theater)

Address: 65 Fountanka River Embankment
Evening performances begin at 7 p.m. unless announced otherwise.

The BDT troupe was created in 1919 when the group began performing in the Conservatiore Hall. In 1920 the company moved to 65 Fontanka Embankment (the building of the former Suvorinsky (Maliy) Theatre), and since that time the BDT has remained there.

The goal of the BDT founders was to create a theatre of "classic tragedy, romantic drama and high comedy" through the perfomance of works by Schiller, Shakespeare, Mollierre, etc. By the middle of the 1920s their repertoire consisted of plays by contemporary playwrights such as M.Gorky, N.Pogodin, A.Faiko, Y.Olesha, and B.Lavrenev.

In the years of the Great Patriotic War the troupe was evacuated, but returned to Leningrad on the first train following the blockade. The first post-war decade was full of hardships, but in 1956 Tovstonogov became the head of the group, and his talent and work resulted in the troupe's world-wide fame and popularity and in 1965 the group was entitled Academic.The following countries have witnessed the performances of BDT: England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, France, Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Israel, Argentina, festivals in India and South Korea.

Komissarzhevskaya Drama Theater

Address: 19 Italianskaya Ulitsa
Evening performances begin at 7 p.m. unless announced otherwise

The theater is known for its modern treatment of classical dramas and unique production of plays on modern life. The theater was established in 1942 when the city was besieged by German troops. Its premises form a part of the indoor shopping complex "Passage" that was constructed in 1848 according to the design of R. Zhelyazyavitch. The life and creative work of V.F. Komissarzhevskaya, the famous drama actress, is closely related to the theater.

The Baltiysky Dom
(Formerly the Theater of Lenin's KOMSOMOL)Formerly the Theater of Lenin's KOMSOMOL)

Address: 12 Alexandrovsky Prospect
Evening performances begin at 7 p.m.

The theater is known to stage plays about moral problems of young people that are of topical interest.

The troupe was organized in 1936, while the building was constructed for the purpose of housing this theater group in 1939.