Theaters in Kiev

Kiev Opera House was constructed by outstanding architect Victor Schroeter at the intersection of two busy roads in 1901. At that time there was the largest opera stage in tsarist Russia. The diminutions were like that — the width of stage was 34,3 m, the depth of stage was 17,2 m, the height of stage was 22,7 m. The theater was equipped with the latest technology of that time. There was no need for any renovation for 80 years. The General Manager and Art Director of the theatre Petr CHUPRINA: “THE GRAND MAGIC OF DANCE AND MUSIC BRINGS US ALL TO THE WORLD OF LOFTY MATTERS…” (Specially for “Prime Excursion Bureau”)

One of the most famous Ukrainian theaters was founded in Vinnitsa in January 1920. It was headed by outstanding Ukrainian artist Ignat Petrovich Yura. The very first night took place on Jan. 28, 1920 when the “Sin" play of the famous writer and statesman Vynnychenko was performed. The well known actors such as A. Buchma, I. Girnyak, A. Dobrovolskya, M. Krushelnitsky, F. Barvinska, P. Nyatko and others started their careers then.

Operetta Theater is located in the former Trinity People\'s House. That establishment was a kind of "culture house" at the beginning of the twentieth century. Then it was at the outskirts of Kiev. In 1907 the troupe of the famous Ukrainian actor and director Nicholas Sadowsky rented the building. Sadowsky’s troupe was formed in Poltava in 1906. It was formed as music and drama theater with Maria Zankovetska starring. The season in Kiev was opened with "Natalka Poltavka’.

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.  

Name “Young” doesn’t have to confuse the reader. Theatre’s active more than 30 years now. “Young theatre” reconsiders famous classical works, breaking the conceptions about genres, about “necessary” and “right”. That’s the way its “Hamlet”, “Uncle Vanya” and “The Inspector General” are staged. Today the troupe of “Young theatre” consists of 60 actors, all of them are known among Ukrainian spectators not only by performances of the “Young theatre”, but also by numerous tv-projects and movies.  

“Kiev Academic Puppet Theatre“ is the oldest puppet theatre in Ukraine, that was founded in 1927 as a branch of “Young Spectator’s Theatre”. Three-storey building in the form of fairy castle with steeples contains two halls – for 300 and 110 spectators. On the first floor you can find the children’s café plus, the museum of antiques puppets, where you can even touch the marionettes of all ages and countries. Peculiar butterflies, tigers and dragons “inhabited” the second floor of puppet castle. And the third floor is the true happiness for kids – the magic heroes of fairy-tales and cartoons peep out through every corner.  

The theatre on Lypky tries to talk to young people about cultural wealth on the understandable language using modern styles and directions in plays. The main feature of the theatre is its direction to the artistic necessaries of all age groups - small children, young people and adults. At the present time the repertoire includes more than 30 plays of the well-known dramatists: W. Shakespeare, Jean-BaptisteMolière, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, A.. Chekhov, V. Nabokov, I. Franko, М. Gogol, М. Twain, E. Goffman, the brothers Grimm, A. Lindgren, I. Zlatopolskyi, О’Henry, Lesya Ukrayinka, Lope de Vega and other.

The National Center for Performing Arts is well known in theatrical circles of Ukraine. It is a huge laboratory of creative experiment. It doesn’t have a regular troupe. Kiev’s theatre of National Center for Performing Arts is a totally different performances, actors directors, it’s a free ground for the theatrical experiments. Professionals from various Kiev and Ukrainian theatres are working here. In the Center of Les Kurbas you can see performances that aren’t popular on the “academic” stage.

The Kyiv state academic theatre of drama and comedy occupies the special place among other theatres of Ukraine. The theatre was created at the end of 1970th and over the years gained the wide popularity of the audience. Today in the repertoire of the theatre are performed “Ann Каrenina" by L. Tolstoy (dir. E. Mytnyckyi), "You need me, gentleman!”(dir. E. Mytnyckyi), based on a play "Every wise man has enough simplicity " by A. Ostrovskyi, "Eternal husband" by F. Dostoevsky (dir. A. Lysovets), "The minor demon" by F. Sologub (dir. Y.Odinokiy), "The Cuckold" by F. Krommelink (dir. A. Lysovets), "Comedy about the charm of the sin"(dir. Y. Odinokiy), based on the play "Mandrake" by N. Machiavelli, "The marriage" by N. Gogol (dir. Y. Odinokyi), "The secret of burning passion " based on the play "Romanticists" by E. Rostan and other.

An introductory word before the beginning of the performance and a small, comfortable hall remarkably assist in the establishment of confidence and touching atmosphere of contact with a fairy-tale. The troupe makes an effort to continue the tradition of creation of opera theatres especially for children. There are not too many similar theatres in the world. An opera theatre for children and youth is rather an exception to the rule, even for Western Europe.

The history of concerto seasons of the National Philharmonic Society started in 1863, when the Kyiv Emperor\'s Russian Musical Society was founded. But Kyiv musical life was rapidly developing from the beginning of the XIX century: famous "Contracts" was being visited by Ferenc Liszt, Polish performers Wieniawski. Still, actually there was no philharmonic stage in Kyiv for a long time.

National Organ and Chamber Music House is situated in the building of Nikolaevskiy kostel – chef d’oeuvre of Kiev architecture, creation of great architect, “author of Kiev architectural score” – Vladislav Gorodetskiy. Like from Middle Ages sailed up to us this wonderful two-master, came in the dale of shallow Kiev river Lybid and stopped here – we hope, for ages. Despite all the twists of the past rough century, kostel is still towering over the city, like one of miraculous gifts of “Kiev Gaudi”, message to progeny from the beginning of XX-th century.

From the historical and architectural side “Actor’s House” is one of the most interesting concert halls of the capital. It is situated in the building of former Karaite Kenesa – synagogue for Karaite people. Kenesa was constructed by great Kiev architect V.Gorodetskiy, it is one of the remarkable monuments of architecture and artwork in Kiev.   

In due time, the Honoured Artist Lyubov Tytarenko left Kyiv state academic Russian drama theatre named after Lesya Ukrayinka and created the first Kyiv private theatre. The present repertoire of the theatre first and foremost includes comedies of the modern Ukrainian and foreign authors. A central theme of all plays, which can be seen on the stage of the "Bravo" theatre, is relations between man and woman.

 The Kyiv academic workshop of dramatic art "Suzirya" –the first engagement theatre in Ukraine was created in 1989. From the moment of foundation, the theatre is headed by the people’s artist of Ukraine Oleksii Kuzhelnyi.

Now the repertoire of Theatre on Podil consists of more than 50 shows. Its creative crew and artistic director Vitaliy Malakhov have become the laureates in 15 nominations of “Kiev Pektoral”. In 2006 the theatre was given a status of “Academic”, and in 2008 Vitaliy Malakhov became the laureate of National Award of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko in the sphere of art and the People’s Artist of Ukraine.

The theatre was created in 1980 as Theatre of Poetry, however the name "Golden gate" it got in honour of the Old Kyiv-Rus monument of architecture, in which the resonance play with the same title was performed few years after the opening of the theatre. So, it was the first time the art of theatre was successfully combined with the art of historical architecture in home theatrical practice.

Creative lounge, named after the great Ukrainian opera singer Ivan Semenovych Kozlovskyi (1900-1993) was founded in 1994, the year of immortalization of memory of the great tenor. At the beginning of 2000th the apartment in a house that survived the destructions of Khreshchatyk Street during the WWII was turned over to the Creative lounge. Repairs of the apartment continued for a several years.

Little theater “Oxymoron” appeared in 2004 as a creative community of young performers of stage arts. The troupe of the theatre is very diverse: here you can find the artists of original-trick genre, mimes and musicians, choreographer and painters.

In December 2009, totally unexpected for the age of crisis, a new theatrical scene appeared in the capital – ArtCenter “New Ukrainian Theatre”. Or to be more precise, it recommenced its work. The founder and the artistic manager of the theatre – director Vitaliy Kino, the actors – graduating students of his course in Kiev Theatrical college.

The theatre is named "modern" foremost in the European understanding - as a theatre of modern Ukrainian and foreign dramaturgy. Saying "modern" we mean not only the plays about modern life, but works which reflect the breath of time, the spirit of our era. The word “interactive” in its name is no coincidence: emphasis is done on a coexistence with public in interdependent open intercourses… The “MIST” creates a living theatre. For this reason, the theatre yet is named “young” – according to the age of actors and stage-directors, and to the catering for the young audience.  

 “Koleso” has two stage grounds. Basic stage is located on the first floor of the theatre and seats 70 spectators. The closed space can surprise those, who came to the theatre for the first time: actors are at the 2 meters distance, and an audience become the witnesses of the most secret processes, going on the stage. The second stage of "Koleso” appears to be … a cafe. On the ground floor spectators in a friendly atmosphere become the participants of a play ("Passion of mister G.-P. house" by О. Pchilka, “To love, to burn and to be the same as before." by J. Béranger.      

It is one of the most unusual Kyiv theatre-studios. According to the creators “the theatre shows mystic musical drama and comedy”. Moreover, part of its repertoire consists of plays for children. Wonder how? Then come!

 At the beginning a seagull arrived on the theatrical sky of Kyiv. That was "Jonathan Livingston Seagull". The staging of the Richard Bach novel was the first play, shown by the young Kyiv actors - graduating students of the Theatrical institute named after Karpenko-Каryi, troupe headed by the same graduating student stage-director Arthur Artimenyev in November, 1997. Thus, a new youth theatre, named "Free theatre", was born.

The theatre created by one of the most famous young ballet master of Europe Radu Poklitaru is inseparable from its creator. The name of Poklitaru is connected with the most interesting experiments and daring interpretations of the world-famous theatrical plots, renewal and improvement of the form and vocabulary of modern dance. The theatre of Radu Poklitaru is planned as an author’s theatre, where the repertoire and the artistic priorities are defined by the performances of one choreographer with his own unique style.

Another strongly pronounced “director’s” theatre of Kiev. The specificity of the “Free Stage Theatre” lies, first of all, in its founder – stage director Dmitriy Bogomazov. He’s the representative of new generation of domestic stage directors, an active propagandist of “antididactic”, democratic theatre. It means that the performances do not impose common views, emotions and conclusions to the spectators; they’re presented as “opened aesthetic structures, resonant in every single spectator in its own way”, as the director said himself.

Kiev musical-dramatic theatre named after G. F. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko works in genre of operetta and musical comedy. This genre was chosen consciously. It is operetta that so strangely combines music, dancing, vocals, humour. Operetta is considered as one of the most impressive and understandable genre, and operetta always stands for the great truth – only beauty and love can save the world.

Original and comfy theatre, where the troupe taught by People’s Artist of Ukraine, laureate of State Prize named after Taras Shevchenko, Nikolai Rushkovskiy, is playing. The theatre was created by senior pupil of Rushkovskiy – Alexander Krijanovskiy.

In the “Actor” theatre most of monoplays of Kyiv are shown. This is a theatre of one actor, one stage-director – but simultaneously a theatre of all other. The creator of the theatrical miracle - an actor - is the main figure here, and his individual discovery is set as the basis of the theatrical philosophy.  

But the theatre is not specializing only in new drama. Theatre of Modern Drama and Comedy was created as a musically-dramatic theatre with the wide genre range: drama, comedy, musical and even ballet. It is a many-sided theatre, where the spectator can find new interpretation of the classics, approbation of searches in modern foreign play, chamber plays and large-scale shows.

Address: 1, Miropolskaya Str., Kiev Phone: +38044 513-15-00  

A fairy-tale hid in the comfortable court of Podolsk in Kyiv. From the first sight an ordinary building appears to be the real workshop of wonders. Passing through an arch from a noisy street to the quiet and mysterious atmosphere of old Kyiv, find yourself in some parallel reality - where a daily routine and illusion close up. Right beside the arch you’ll meet sad and sorrowful Guard with the heart bound by a pin. Building of the theatre is inhabited by quiet, mysterious creatures. The vestibule is a place where play begins and the same time a comfortable cafe with local mysterious inhabitants looking at you from the walls. Like ivy, they are hanging down in all dark corners, walls, with their huge eyes open wide, taciturnly playing their welcoming play.

It is very unusual theatre. Plays are graceful and elegant. It is the "Theatre of silence" : actors do not talk here, and act only using own body, joining with emotions, express feelings and ideas, metaphors and illusions using the plastic art of motion, objects-symbols, character masks, and even sceneries which are changing during the play.

The theatrical centre of one of the most famous and popular educational institutions of Kiev and Ukraine declares itself as a successor of puppet show booths and dramaturgy of “student” theatre of XVII-XVIII centuries.

The chamber theatre that stages the performances of high quality, rarely though. It is based on classical and modern Ukrainian dramaturgy. Its artistic manager, Sergei Arkhipchuk, is the stage director of The National Opera of Ukraine, famous cultural worker, author and director of opera, musical-dramatic, poetic shows and public performances. Arkhipchuk works both with professional artists and amateurs.

Address: 9, Ilyinska Str., Kiev Phone: +38044 362-50-50, 418-05-93, 272-27-03, 361-38-96

Address: 136, Velika Vasilkovska Str. (Chervonoarmiyska Str.), Kiev Phone: +38044 529-40-62.

Address: 4 / 13, Sretenskaya Str., Kiev Phone: +38044 501-24-40

When speaking about Jewish theatre, we almost always mean theatre in Yiddish language, although “that” environment and “those” people, for whom this language was native from their childhood, disappeared long ago. At “Perestroika” times Jewish subject, like much of what was forbidden, became popular, even stylish: plays of Sholom Aleikhem began to be performed at Ukrainian and Russian stages and the role of Tevye- the milkman became one of the best in careers of such geniuses as Yevgeniy Leonov and Bogdan Stupka.

Address: Center for Philanthropy, 1st  floor, 3b, Antonovicha (Gorkogo) Str., Kiev (Performances are shown in various halls) Phone: +38044 231-26-77, 234-03-17

Address: 40, Yaroslaviv Val Str., Kiev Phone: +38044 272-10-45

Address: 38, Pobedy Ave., Kiev Phone: +38044 241-87-97

Address: 109, Alma-Atinska Str., Kiev (DVRZ Cultural Center) Phone: +38044 568-78-56, 568-98-40

Address: 2, Heroes of Stalingrad Ave., Culture and Arts Center at Kyiv State Water Transport Academy, Kiev Phone: +38 066 732-55-31

Address: Office 458, 21, Knyazhiy Zaton Str., Kiev Phone: +38044 574-87-94

Address: Bldg. 12, 24, Heroes of Stalingrad Ave., Kiev Phone: +38044 383-91-23  

Address: 45a, Volodymyrska Str., Kiev Phone: +38044 529-87-42

(No own stage) Phone: +38066-185-40-40, +38063-039-73-75

Address: 3, Moskovskaya Str., Kiev ("Pechersk" Technical and Artistic Creativity Center) Phone: +38044 410-00-93

Address: 57 / 3, Velika Vasilkivska Str., Kiev (Planetarium) Phone: +38044 287-75-08

Address: 6, Kurska Str., Kiev Phone: +38044 276-91-74