History Tula Academic Drama Theatre. Gorky has its roots in 1777 when the Thule was given the status of an independent provincial town. Actors Theatre of Tula were brought from Kaluga. The playbill of that time were the tragedy and comedy, and opera is staged plays Sumarokov AP Knyazhnin Ya, Moliere, Beaumarchais. Interesting and extraordinary repertory acting troupe and affordable ticket prices have made theater a cultural center of the province.

In 1787 the Tula theater visited Catherine II. She was pleased with the performance and gave the order to send to St. Petersburg two of the best actors for improvement. Among them was an actor of the tragic genre Trofim Konstantinov, who later graced the main part of the Imperial stage in St. Petersburg.

Tula, rightly, proud of the fact that here there were great actors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1822 in the Tula theater he worked famous Russian actor Mikhail Shchepkin, then he was transferred to Moscow Maly Imperial Theater, where he served for forty years and has been the best artist in his time. In 1832 at the Tula theater stage debut PM Sadowski, the founder of the dynasty of artists of the Maly Theater.

Theatrical life in Tula, which was in Kiev tract, was always pretty busy. There were often touring with such famous artists as MN Yermolov, PS Mochalov, LP Nikulin-Kositsky, AI Ugine visiting here and the company KS Stanislavsky.

Creative work of the great writer Leo Tolstoy, who lived and worked in the Tula province, could not impose a mark on the repertoire. On the stage of the Noble Assembly April 15, 1890 it has been given a public performance under the name "The Fruits of Enlightenment" in his rehearsals was the author himself.

Different age leaves its mark on the repertoire and theater director, actor destiny. For example, in 1938 almost all the main actors staging of "Anna Karenina" were arrested as members of the "spy organization" and four of them were shot, among them was Anna Tomashevskaya who played Anna Karenina.

During WWII Tula theater continued its operations (except for the time when the city was under siege). Daily given for two performances, the troupe traveled with concerts to the front and to the military units.

Theatre got its own building only in 1912 (today it houses the Regional Philharmonic). At this stage we were born famous performances that have taken a worthy place in the history of the theater: "Anna Karenina", "Vassa Zheleznova" Gorky, "A Month in the Country" IS Turgenev's "The Living Corpse" LN Tolstoy, "Justin" Wuolijoki H., "The Fruits of Enlightenment" LN Tolstoy's "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, "Mary Stuart" Schiller, "Mother's Field" Aitmatov, "Virgin Soil Upturned" Mikhail Sholokhov.

Among the actors of the Tula theater can distinguish IM Duvanina, NS Kritsky, ND Chonishvili, OS Karnovich, KA Shishkin, VS Shevyryov, AI Solovyov KV Shorygina, EI Pchelkin, NA Kazakova, T. Demidov, SV Sotnichevskuyu, each of which has a bright creative individuality.

In the theater, working directors like Gersht MN Korolevich VV Glovatsky BG, Tunkel AV Parkalab NN, Lebedev VN, Rachlin RP, Manský DM, Kondratiev VP, Malyshev AA which are inscribed in the history of the theater vivid pages.

In 1970, the theater was built for the new building. Its architects were A. Krasilnikov V. Shulrihter, Popov. The sculpture, entitled "The Muses" on the facade of the building is Vasentsovym A. and D. Shakhovskoi.

The most significant period in the history of the Tula Drama Theater associated with the name RP Rachlin, Honored Art Worker. He managed to raise an amazing palette of creative theater troupe. His productions have shown their talent RG Asfandiyarova, NS Belousov, N. Kazakov, VF Korobkin, VA Bashkin, AI Solovyov, NF Zemtsov, GA Kuzminskaya, OG Korchikov, VV Govallo, VV Bazin, VM Zhukov, Y. Muravitsky, EV Murashov.

In the period from 1989 to 2011. Theatre headed AI Popov, a student of G. BDT, who after a long break again brought to the stage the heroes of Leo Tolstoy. Tula theater tour in the Baltic States, Ukraine, Belarus, in the Far North, the Urals, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Czechoslovakia, Poland. The theater takes an active part in the Russian festival movement.

In 1995 the theater received the title of "Academic".

In recent years, the playbill of the theater you can see the play P. Gladilina, Gr. Gorin, AL Petrushevskaya A. Slapovskogo, E. Poddubnaya, Zherebtsova V., V. Merezhko.