In 1899, the Kiev Literacy Society approached the City Duma with an initiative to build a people’s house (a publicly accessible cultural and educational institution). The mayor took up the proposal and by the end of the year a resolution was issued on the free allocation of land next to the Trinity Church. Provincial architect G. M. Antonovsky agreed to develop the project for free, and he also refused remuneration for design supervision. For construction (not counting finishing and purchasing property) more than 100,000 rubles were needed. A significant portion of this amount came from charitable contributions. The owners of some brick factories donated more than 100,000 bricks for construction. We received money for finishing and equipment through a mortgage on preferential terms.
The ceremonial laying of the building took place on July 12, 1901. The contractor was the well-known construction company L.B. Ginzburg, which performed the work on credit, and some of the work was also performed by the contractor free of charge. Electric lighting equipment was installed by the Russian Electrical Partnership “Union”. The building was built by the fall of 1902, and on October 12 its grand opening and consecration took place. In 1906 the building was rebuilt.
In 1934, after a 12-year ban by the Soviet authorities on performances by operetta theaters, the State Theater of Musical Comedy of the Ukrainian SSR opened in the Trinity People’s House. In 1966 it received the name of the Kyiv State Operetta Theater, in 2004 it was given the status of academic, and in 2009 – national. Over 70 seasons, the Kiev Operetta Theater has staged more than 200 productions. In the fall of 2017, the 83rd theater season began successfully.
Since 2003, the Kiev Operetta Theater has been headed by artistic director B. Strutinsky. It fell to the director’s lot to open a new page in the history of the creative team. First of all, the creative staff was updated, and the repertoire was replenished with successful classical and modern productions (one of the world’s best operettas, Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss, was restored). In 2004, the theater was given a new status – Kiev Academic Operetta Theater. A great achievement of this cultural institution is the opening of a chamber stage – “Theater in the Foyer” on the eve of the theater’s 70th anniversary. In December 2009, the Kiev Academic Operetta Theater celebrated its 75th anniversary and received national status for its significant contribution to the cause of national spiritual revival and high creative level.
Today the operetta theater positions itself as a theater of wide profile. On the stage of the Kiev operetta, classical operetta, modern and classical musicals are successfully performed, a variety of concert programs are widely presented (show programs, symphony orchestra concerts, opera and ballet concerts), and various creative experiments are boldly embodied.
Where is the Kiev operetta?
Bolshaya Vasylkivska Street, 53/3
(044) 287-62-57, 287-26-30