Penza, 5 December 2013. PenzaNews. On Thursday, December 5, it has been 220 years since the day of the official opening of the first theatrical season.

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“From that day – November 24 of the old calendar – we time the history of the Penza Drama Theatre,” the head of literary dramatic department of the theatre Vitaly Sokolov told news agency “PenzaNews.”

According to him, it was good luck that in 1791 Prince Ivan Dolgoruky was honorary exiled from Moscow to Penza to the position of the vice-governor, he was a connoisseur of art and could not imagine a provincial town without a theatre.

“The modern Drama Theatre – the heir of the original, Dolgoruky’s theatre – passed through thick and thin, like a Phoenix reborn from ash, today is one of the leading provincial theatres of the country, the winner of many festivals, the initiator of many creative projects of inter-regional and nationwide significance, including “Theatrical Povolzhye,” “Written by Feather Quill,” “Maskerad,” “Penza as it is,” the agency interlocutor said.

Vitaly Sokolov added that every season 8–10 premiers are presented on the two stages, and the repertoire has more than 30 performances of plays by classical and contemporary authors.

“The troop consists of recognized masters of the stage – national and honored, and young actors, who are already working in a variety of plays. And most importantly, the theatre employs large, friendly, strong-knit team. They are not just actors, but painters, decorators, costumers, makeup artists, property men, installers, administrators, ushers, sound engineers, lighting technicians, accountants and many other people who try to make the theatre the center of attraction for deep thinking and sensitive people,” he said.