The Moscow Art Theater, named after Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, is a Moscow drama theater founded in 1987 after the division of the Moscow Art Theater of the USSR named after Maxim Gorky into two theaters. Since 1989, it has been named after Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, one of its principal authors.
Director – Konstantin Yuryevich Khabensky, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation (since October 28, 2021).
In 1989, the Moscow Art Theater received the name of Chekhov. In 1996, by decree of the President of Russia, B.N. Yeltsin, the theater was added to the list of cultural heritage sites of Russia. On June 16, 1997, the Government of Russia approved the charter of the theater. It officially appointed Oleg Nikolayevich Efremov as artistic director of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater.
The theater building is an architectural monument of the 18th century, built during the reign of Catherine II. In 1767, a mansion in the Empire style was built for Prince Peter Odoevsky in Kamergersky Lane, which was rebuilt several times in the 19th century. In 1882, by order of the merchant Georgy Lianozov, the architect Mikhail Chichagov changed the building into the Chamber Theater.
In 1902, the architect Fyodor Shekhtel reconstructed the building for the Moscow Art Theater. His initial project was partially completed: the interiors, lamps, doors, and window frames were redone. A bas-relief, “The Swimmer,” was installed above the entrance by sculptor Anna Golubkina. Fyodor Shekhtel also made sketches for the theater’s curtain and emblem. Shortly before the October Revolution in 1914, the architect built a commercial house next to the main building, which was transferred to the Moscow Art Theater in 1938. Today it houses a theater museum and a training stage.
Working days: daily, 12:00–19:30
Address: Kamergersky pereulok (lane), 3, building 1, Moscow (intersection with Tverskaya Street).
Nearest metro: Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya, Pushkinskaya, Tverskaya
