The State Academic Central Puppet Theater, named after Sergey Vladimirovich Obraztsov (GATsTK), is the largest in the world.
It is located in Moscow at number 3 on Sadovaya-Samotechnaya Street (Garden Ring).
Member of the International Union of Puppet Theater Workers UNIMA. The emblem of the theater is a hand with a ball on the index finger.
The puppet theater opened on September 16, 1931. At that time, only five actors worked in the theater: E. N. Scholz, K. M. Vladimirova, Evgeny Speransky, A. A. Mikhailov and P. P. Yakshin.
The theater’s first performance was “The Circus on Stage,” played on November 5, 1931.
The theater complex includes two buildings designed by architects Yu. N. Sheverdyaev, A. P. Melekhov and V. I. Utkin.
The main façade of the building is decorated with a unique clock designed by sculptors Dmitry Shakhovsky and Pavel Shimes in 1970. They are four meters long and three meters wide. In the center is a dial with gold hands and gold numbers. Above is a large rooster. Along the dial diameter, there are 12 houses with gold ornaments. Every hour, a house corresponding to the time opens. A fairy-tale character appears from it, dancing to the music of the folk song “Whether in the garden, in the garden”; and precisely at noon, all 12 houses with 12 characters open. Veniamin Kalmanson designed the unique watch mechanism.
Halls
Large hall for 500 seats
Small hall for 200 seats
Third stage for 45 seats
Museum of theatrical puppets
The museum presents more than four thousand exhibits. It is the only one in Russia and one of the world’s largest collections of theater puppets of all known systems from antiquity to the present day, as well as archival materials, written documents, specialized literature, and other rarities. Entrance to it is free with a ticket to the performance.
There is a monument to Sergey Obraztsov near the theater. The opening was timed to coincide with two dates – the 105th anniversary of the birth of the founder and the 75th anniversary of the theater. The sculpture was created in 2001 by Alexander Belashov at the expense of the theater. The sculpture is modeled after a porcelain figurine made in the middle of the last century by sculptor Ilya Slonim. The bronze monument, mounted on a granite pedestal, depicts the director in full growth.
Working days: daily, 10:00–19:00
Address: Sadovaya-Samotechnaya street, 3, Moscow
Nearest metro: Tsvetnoy Boulevard, Dostoevskaya, Sukharevskaya.
