Photo1. National Academic Theater of Russian Drama named after Lesya Ukrainka in  Kiev.	Photo2. A scene from Games in the backyard.	Photo3. A scene from Don Quixote, 1939.

Address: 5, Khmelnytsky Street, Kiev
Phone: +38 (044) 2344223, 234-90-63.

This theater is often called in short and meaningful way. It is called "Russian drama". The history of theater and its troupe is the story about actors and actresses known throughout the three historical epochs - Imperial Russian epoch, Soviet epoch and Independent Ukraine epoch.

"Our theater has always been and it remains a theatrical ensemble” That is the way the actors and actresses of the Russian Drama Troupe say about themselves. On the stage of National Academic Theater of Russian Drama named after Lesya Ukrainka many popular actors, actresses, directors, artists and composers worked.  They were Michael Romanov, Yuri Lavrov, Lyubov Dobrzhanskaya, Nicholas Svetlovidov, Eugenia Opalova, Viktor Dobrovolsky, Viktor Khalatov, Oleg Borisov, Pavel Luspekaev, Kirill Lavrov, Konstantin Khokhlov, Vladimir Nelly, Nikolai Sokolov, Georgi Tovstonogov, Anatoly Petritsky, David Borovsky, Daniil Lider, Leon Alshits, Boris Lyatoshynsky andYuri Shaporin.

The theater was founded in 1891. Then it was known as N. Solovtsov’s theatrical troupe. It was in that building that Solovtsov’s troupe gave the first performance. The theater building where the performances were started was known then as the Bergognie’s House. Mr. Bergognie bought that plot of land in 1868. A circus building was built there. Three years later there was a theater instead of the circus. The theater was known as Bergognie’s theater until the October Revolution. The theater building was rented by troupes headed by Kropivnitsky, Staritsky, Solovtsov as well as by Italian opera singers.

The modern history of theater has been started since 1926. In 1941 the company was named after Lesya Ukrainka. In 1966 the company was rewarded with the title "Academic Theater".

Many performances were tremendously popular. They were The Living Corpse by L. Tolstoy with M. Romanov starring, Moral of Madame Dulska by G. Zapolskaya and Trees die standing by A. Casoni with Eugenia Opalova and Victor Khalatov starring, Warsaw Melody by L. Zorin with Ada Rogovtseva starring, Kind Men by L. Zorin with Yuriy Mazhuga starring, My mocking happiness by L. Malyugin with Nicholas Rushkovsky, Vyacheslav Ezepov, Larisa Kadochnikova, Ada Rogovtseva, Isabella Pavlova and Sergei Filimonov starring, The Tale of Monica by S. Shaltyanis with Lyubov Kubyuk, Anatoly Hostikoev and Alexander Ignatusha starring. O. Wilde’s comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest" has been the hit already for fifteen theatrical seasons.

Since 1994 the theater company has been headed by National Artist of Ukraine Mikhail Reznikovich.

The theater is famous for its traditionalism in the interpretation of subjects and its scope of productions. There are some experimental little stages. In the theater there is an exposition dedicated to its history.