The Lesya Ukrainka Russian Drama Theater began its history with the first permanent theater, an enterprise of director and actor Nikolai Solovtsov. The Solovtsov Theater began its existence in 1891. Solovtsov’s troupe showed its first performances in the premises where it operates today Ivan Franko Theater. The cast of his troupe later became the base of the Kyiv State Russian Drama Theater.
On March 15, 1919, the Solovtsov Theater was nationalized and was named the Second Theater of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic named after Vladimir Lenin. On July 31, 1919, after Denikin’s troops entered Kyiv, the theater ceased operations and reopened on January 8, 1920. At the beginning of 1926 the theater ceased operation. In 1926, by decision of the Kyiv District Executive Committee, the Russian State Drama was organized; on October 15 of the same year, the theater opened its first season. In 1941, the theater was named after Lesya Ukrainka. In the first months of the war, the team broke up, and the actors worked in evacuation. In 1942 in Karaganda, chief director Konstantin Khokhlov restored the troupe, which returned to Kyiv in May 1944. In 1946, the theater was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. In 1966 he received the title of academic. Since 1994, the theater has been headed by People’s Artist of Ukraine Mikhail Reznikovich.
The Lesya Ukrainka Russian Drama Theater has a museum where photographs and negatives are stored (scenes from performances, theater figures on stage and in life), programs and posters from different years, sheet music, texts of plays, personal belongings of representatives of various professions involved in co-creation, autographs (in addition to the usual letters, personal or work notes, this section stores the texts of roles, which their performers usually rewrite by hand). There are costumes and wigs, props, pieces of furniture and musical instruments – participants in one or another stage work. A special group of exhibits are the works of theater artists (costume sketches, models and stage design sketches), a section of fine art that returns to the moment of the birth of the performance.
The Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theater of Russian Drama has worked with such actors as Mikhail Romanov, Konstantin Ershov, Yuri Lavrov, Maria Strelkova, Dmitry Golubinsky, Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya, Nikolai Svetlovidov, Evgenia Opalova, Viktor Dobrovolsky, Viktor Khalatov, Apollon Yachnitsky, Alexander Anurov, Oleg Borisov , Vyacheslav Ezepov, Pavel Luspekayev, Kirill Lavrov, Ada Rogovtseva, Irina Bunina, Valeria Zaklunnaya, Alexander Parra.
Directors Konstantin Khokhlov, Vladimir Nelli, Nikolai Sokolov, Leonid Varpakhovsky, Georgy Tovstonogov, Irina Molostova, Anatoly Pazenko, actor and director Mikhail Romanov.
Artists Anatoly Petritsky, Moritz Umansky, David Borovsky, Daniil Leader, Leon Alshits.
Composers Boris Lyatoshinsky, Yuri Shaporin.
Where is the Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Theater of Russian Drama?
Bohdana Khmelnitsky Street, 5
(044) 234-42-23
(ticket sales and reservation department, daily from 10 to 18 hours, closed on Sunday)