Odessa Russian Theatre - the oldest theater in southern Ukraine, was built in 1874 by merchant A. Velikanova, and was intended for performance of favorite Odessites drama troupe known provincial actor and entrepreneur NK Miloslavsky. Originally, the theater was named after its owner Theatre Velikanova, but in 1875 the Giants have sold the theater to another owner - F. Rafalovich, who renamed his purchase, calling it RUSSIAN THEATRE. In those years the Russian theater was a venue for the biggest theatrical events of the city. Before the revolution there were many Russian, Ukrainian, German, French, Italian, drama, opera and operetta troupe. On the stage of the Russian Theatre in Odessa in the late 19 th - early 20 th century played a star of the world stage by Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, Benoit Coquelin, Jean Mounet-Sully, Mary Savina, Vladimr Davydov, Maria Zankovetskaya, Panas Saksagansky and Mark Kropiwnicki. .. In Soviet times, this building was finally registered Odessa State Russian Drama Theatre (1926). In 1927 the theater was named chairman of the executive committee of Odessa Andrey Ivanov to the troupe in different years outstanding actors: at the theater for the first time at full power talents of Michael Astangova, Daria Zerkalova, Vladimir Samoilov. There was a big part of the creative life of Nikolai Komissarov, Nikolai Volkov - Senior, Lee Bugovoy, Pavel Mikhailov, Boris Seidenberg, Leonid Marennikova, Eugene Kotov, Lydia Polyakova, Igor Shelyugina. It worked talented directors: Abraham Rubin, Alex Gripich, Abraham Konstantin Alexander Solomarsky, Vladimir Bortko - Senior, Victor Terentyev, Konstantin Chernyadev, Victor Strizhov, Edward Mitnitsky, Alexander Dzekun and many others. In 2003, the theater re-opened after nearly two years of renovation and repair. Refreshing the theater building, the theater took a course for renewal and rejuvenation of the troupe's repertoire. In the theater has taken a number of young actors and actresses - acting class graduates from razlichnvyh schools. Retaining some of the best performances, created earlier, the theater has implemented a range of new resonance productions. Pays special attention to the theater to attract the best directors in the theater forces. The artistic directors of the theater performs directorial board, consisting of three directors - Alexei Girby, Sergei Golomazova, Alexey Litvin.