Moscow Artistic Academic Theatre

The Famed Moscow Artistic Academic Theatre

The Moscow Artistic Academic Theatre is also known in Russian as MHAT. Founders Konstantin S. Stanislavsky and Vladimir I. Nemirovich-Danchenko established the Moskow Artistic Academic Theatre in 1897. Stanislavsky was the artistic director and Nemirovitch-Danchenko was the administrative director. The Moscow Artistic Academic Theatre is also known as the Moscow Art Theatre, or unofficially as the Seagull Theatre. The Moscow Art Theatre become known by the four Anton Chekhov productions featured at the theatre, of which the first production was "The Seagull". The Moscow Art Theatre still has a seagull as its mascot. The theatre is located just north-west from the Red Square in Moscow.

The Moscow Art Theatre was opened with the goal to be a theatre that specializes in naturalism, replacing the old fashioned, heavy histrionic acting. The state contributed funds in exchange for the theatre producing socialist drama. The very first production hosted by the theatre was "Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich" written by Aleksey Tolstoy, but as mentioned before, the theatre only won acclaim with the production of The Seagull. The humble beginnings of the theatre included amateur actors and rehearsals that took place in a barn. Fortunately, one of those amateurs was wealthy and his interest in the theatre secured the building that the Moscow Art Theatre is located in today. The production of The Seagull not only brought fame to the theatre but to Chekhov as well. Later productions included works by Maksim Gorky, Maurice Maeterlinck and the Dostoyevsky Brothers. One of theatre's most interesting production achievements was "The Blue Bird" by Meaterlinck.

The company of the Moscow Art Theatre successfully toured the United States of America, with their work reflecting the social and political changes within Russia.

The theatre is currently being run by Oleg Tabokov, who took over the Moscow Artistic Academy Theatre in 2000. The theatre seats approximately 1 350 people and produces about fifteen productions a year. Four or five of the productions are new, with only the best and most popular productions gracing the stage for several weeks. The Moscow Art Theatre is equipped with modern stage equipment, revolving stage and can accommodate art productions.