Our Collections

“Russian drama” presents a collection, comprising drama works of XVIII-XIX centuries in Russian.  Manuscripts and printed issues cover practically full repertoire of Russian theatre for more than a century and a half. Some plays have not ever been published. Some acting copies and prompt-books contain personal notes and mise-en-scene sketches left by different theatre directors and prompters. The collection includes also drama part of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich library from Paley palace in Tsarskoe Selo.

“Drama censorship” is a unique collection of plays obtained by the library in 1917 after Censorial committee of the Interior Ministry liquidation. This collection has in its foundation printed copies of plays which passed through censorship and were kept in the Printing Affairs  Board archive.

“French drama” covers a collection of plays of XVIII-XIX centuries in French, performed on Russian stage. It includes the library of Duke A. Y. Lobanov-Rostovsky with life-time editions of Corneile, Moliere and Racine.

“German drama” – comprises a collection of plays in German dated by XVIII-XIX centuries which were performed by German company in Saint-Petersburg.

“Northern theatre library of K. P. Larin” – is a collection of Russian drama and foreign drama translations, consisting mostly of scripts used by theatre directors and actors. It units manuscripts, lithographic and printed copies, a lot of them noted with working litters. The plays were performed on Russian stage in XIX-XX centuries.

“Library of M. G. Savina” presents a private family collection of outstanding Russian actress and her husband A. E. Molchanov, staff-member of the Imperial Theatres Board.

“N. N. Khodotov library” is a private collection of Alexandrinsky theatre actor. It consists of theatre periodicals, books on history, art, philosophy and ethnography.

“Fund of sketches’ – a collection having in the foundation the Imperial Theatres mounting library. It contains scenery, costume, properties, drop-curtains original sketches of great value. Among the artists P. Gonzaga, A. A. Roller, V.A. Gartman, A. I. Sharlemann, I. A. Vsevolozhsky, A. N. Benoit, L. S. Bakst, A. Y. Golovin, K. A. Korovin, B. I. Anisfeld have to be named. At present this collection is  replenished with the works of modern scenography masters – N. P. Akimov, Ed. S. Kochergin, S. M. Yunovich, M. Ts. Azizyan, V. I. Firer and many others.

“Collection of pre-revolutionary (before 1917) periodicals on art”. This fund counts more than two hundred titles of Russian and foreign magazines and newspapers.

“Archive fund” presents a collection of manuscripts, diaries, memoirs, letters of outstanding Russian and foreign cultural workers:  V. N. Asenkova, I. I. Sosnitsky, M. S. Shepkin, M. N. Ermolova,, M. G. Savina, V. F. Komissarzhevskaya, F. I. Shalyapin, T. P. Karsavina, S. P. Dyagilev, Maria Taglioni, Sara Bernard, Eleonora Duse, Ernesto Rossi, M. M. Fokin. The collection also includes private archives of actors and stage directors: G. D. Dushin, V. I. Strzhelchik, V. V. Uskov, P. P. Gaydeburov, N. V. Demidov, N. N. Kosheverova, A. A. Muzil, E. P. Padve, R. A. Sirota, M. V. Sulimov; archives of theatre critics L. I. Gitelman, A. A. Gozenpud, V. M.  Krasovskaya, Y.I. Slonimsky, S. L. Tsimbal and many others.