The Penza A.V. Lunacharskiy Regional Drama Theater

The Penza A.V. Lunacharskiy Regional Drama Theater is one of the oldest theaters of Russia. The repertoire of the Penza theater is based first of all on the works of Russian classics and foreign dramatic art. At the same time the theater is opened for the young modern writers some of them debuted here and after that their names became widely known.

On 2 of January, 2008 there was a fire in the theater which destroyed internal constructions of the building. In February - June, 2008 the burnt building of the theater was completely pulled down. Later an open competition for an architectural image of a new building of the theater was organized in Penza. The most authoritative workshops and the project institute of Penza have taken part in it As a result the majority of jury votes was given to the project executed by the personal creative workshop under the leadership of A.A. Breusov (the main architect of the project is A.V. Chibireva, the author of the architectural decision of facades is I.A. Kudryashov).

The opening of a new building of the Penza Regional Drama Theater took place on March 5, 2010.

The building is constructed in the manner of the latest classicism with use of elements of Russian modernist style. Now the Penza Regional Drama Theater is the largest, the most equipped and modern theater of a new Russian province.

The elements of the facade include the natural red Karelian granite. The decor elements of fiberglass, the decor of the interior of crystal and marble applications and floors of an artificial finishing stone make the theater in Penza unique. Light gets into the foyer through a glass dome.

The project cost 1 billion 489 million roubles, 651 million of it was from the federal budget. The total area of the new building of the theater is 16,5 thousand sq. meters. It is two times bigger than the former one. The big hall is designed for 1 thousand places. It is supplied by the modern light and sound equipment, climate control and a firefighting system. The small hall is designed for 100 places.

The new theater has its own hotel on 15 rooms where up to 40 actors can live. Dressing rooms are designed for 1 - 2 persons.

Address: 440600, Penza, Moscovskaya Str, 89.

Tel: (8412) 56-40-91, 56-30-46, 56-47-04.

The Penza Regional Puppet Theater «Kukolny Dom »

The Penza Regional Puppet Theater «Kukolny Dom » was founded in 1942. Having 70 years of history, the theater has got a wide experience of work with children and teenagers. The repertoire of the theater consists of 25 performances. The Penza Regional Puppet Theatre «Kukolny Dom » organizes its performances not only in its own building, but also in kindergartens and schools of Penza and the Penza region.

Over the last ten years the theater took part in 11 All-Russia and 9 international festivals which passed in Holland, Turkey, Hungary, Poland and other countries.

In 2005 the art director and the theater director of the Penza Regional Puppet Theatre «Kukolny Dom » Vladimir Birjukov received the honorary degree «Honored art worker of the Russian Federation».

Address: 440052, Penza, Tchkalov Str, 35.

Tel: (8412) 343-726, 343-839, 324-889.

The Penza Regional Theater of Young Spectators

The Penza Regional Theater of Young Spectators was opened in on March 23, 1935 in the club named First of May with the performance «Klad», E.P. Schwarz's play (art director — V.I. Otradin, artist — A.S. Shurchilov). There were 18 actors in the troupe. In 1935 there were held 8 performances, including «Uncle's Tom Cabin» by H. Beecher Stowe, «Chapaev» by D.I. Furmanov, «The Tale of Tsar Saltan» by A.S. Pushkin, "Brother» by N.F. Pogodin, «Lawyer Patlen» by S.A. Auslander. The Theater of Young Spectators was closed in the same year because of financial difficulties, and it was reopened only in 1989 in the Art Center.

In 2001 the Penza Regional Theater of Young Spectators became the prize winner of the international festival «Theatre and Childhood» organized in Sterlitamak.

Since January, 1, 2007 the Penza Regional Theater of Young Spectators is transformed into the municipal institution «The Penza Regional Theater of Young Spectators». Now the permanent place of the theater is the Cinema-Concert Hall «Octyabr» (Kirova Str, 39).

Since February 1, 2008 Andrey Poljakov, the graduate of the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute, is the director of the Penza Regional Theater of Young Spectators.

In 2008 it was decided to build some objects of culture, including building of the Penza Regional Theater of Young Spectators in the city, which is supposed to be finished by 2013.

Address: Penza, Kirova Str, 39, Cinema-Concert Hall «Octyabr».

Tel: (8412) 66-05-20.

The V.E. Meyerhold Stage Art Museum

In February, 1984 the memorial of the great reformer of the theatrical art V.E. Mejerhold — The Vsevolod Meyerhold Memorial Museum — was opened in Penza. The creators of the museum were outstanding figures of the theatrical art, V.E. Mejerhold's pupils — M.I. Tsarev, I.V. Ilinsky, E.P. Garin and others. Maria Valentej, the granddaughter of V.E. Mejerhold, played a big role in the creation and in the development of the museum.

In 1999, in the year of celebrating the 125th  anniversary from the birth of V.E. Mejerhold the first russian monument to V.E.Mejerhold (the author is the Penza sculptor J.E. Tkachenko) and the architectural ensemble «Corner of the old Penza» were opened on the territory of the museum.

In 2001 The Vsevolod Meyerhold Memorial Museum won a grant of the president of the Russian Federation for the project of creation the chamber theater «Doctor Dapertutto’s Theater».

In January, 2003 The Vsevolod Meyerhold Memorial Museum was transformed from the museum into the art center. Now it is called the V.E. Meyerhold Stage Art Museum.

Address: 440600, Penza, Volodarskogo Str, 59.

Tel: (8412) 56-22-88, 56-46-20.