Restoration of Kazan Youth Theatre underway
And it is planned to reopen it by 2027
Work has begun in the main building of the Kazan Youth Theatre. It is planned to finish by 2026–2027, but for now the theatre troupe is touring the city, performing in 17 locations. They are preparing a new premiere at Polimer Cultural Centre in Levchenko settlement. But after that, the Youth Theatre will receive a renovated hall, a small stage, and many rooms with restored interiors. And, apparently, new viewers “fed” during the travel period. Read more about it in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
The contract with the builders was signed on 21 March
The Youth Theatre has been moving towards these works for a long time. For example, back in 2016, Rustam Minnikhanov was presented with documents on the restoration. In 2019, at Artpolis workshop at the Kazan State University of Construction and Engineering, projects were developed for its transformation into a huge theatre space.
In 2021, a tender was announced for the development of design documentation for repair and restoration work on Ostrovsky Street, which was won by Tatinvestgrazhdanproekt. The assignment stated that the contractor must submit a project for the repair of the basement, strengthening of the foundations, restoration of the stairs, roof, facades, doors and engineering systems of the theatre, as well as interiors “adapted for modern use.” The project was approved in October 2023, with plans to begin the reconstruction in 2024. However, it is only starting now, in March 2025.
They talk about the start of the work in the hall, from where all the seats have already been taken out. Here we need to replace the stage floor, do some soundproofing, set up a loading area, install a multi-speed curtain and a stage turntable. The main chandelier is down — it also needs to be repaired. The project also includes changing the configuration of the stage portal and restoring the proscenium. The hall itself will be slightly tilted, the seats will be replaced and equipped with audio headphones. Finally, the plans include repairing the balcony railing and ramps.
“The contract was signed on 21 March, and as of today, the preparatory work has been completed — removal of scenery, garbage, seats,” says Airat Nadyrshin, Deputy General Director of the construction company Vostok-S. “From Monday, we will begin all types of work, starting with the foundation, and having received all the permits, we will go to the facade.”
By the end of the year, according to him, it is also planned to sort out the engineering equipment, electricity, heating, and the ventilation issue is currently being resolved.
From merchants to the Tatar intelligentsia
The building belonged to the family of NikolayZhuravlyov, chairman of the Kazan Merchant Exchange, who also owned a cereal factory and a distillery. In 1871, two houses, a storeroom with a second floor built on, facing Kavi Najmi Street and the future theatre on the corner were united (now there is an arch in this place). At the same time, the second level appeared near the cold services (actors of the Tatar Youth Theatre lived there in a dormitory for a long time in our time).
Before the revolution, there was a Merchants' Assembly (and Gabdulla Tukay performed, as stated on the memorial plaque). And then the House of Tatar Culture, also known as the Eastern Club, was located, and soon a theatre hall appeared, the stage was expanded. The First State Demonstration Drama Tatar Theatre, the future Kamal Theatre, played its first season here. In 1935, the Youth Theatre opened in Kazan, and soon settled in this building. The Youth Theatre troupe first became a touring theatre after a fire in 1995, when the roof and stage equipment burned down. The theatre lived out of suitcases for six years.
During the work, it became clear that the interior had changed a lot during the Soviet era, and there were many extensions from the courtyard side. Saving the building after the fire, restorers completely redesigned the interior of the auditorium.
“We see a certain dissonance in the renovation, deviations from the historical appearance,” said Ivan Gushchin, head of the committee for the protection of cultural heritage sites. “We will now bring it into compliance.”
In the courtyard, they are working on an object without protection status
At the same time, the Youth Theatre complex of buildings includes many sites that can be combined into two points. The first is the historical building of the Eastern Club on Ostrovsky Street, a cultural heritage site. By 2024, through cracks appeared in the walls, bricks were falling out, uneven settling of the foundation, corrosion, and a leaking roof were observed. This is where the work began. From the federal and republican budgets, 704 million rubles were allocated for the initial stage.
The viewer does not really see many of the beauties of the Youth Theatre, which began to be revealed in recent years. In the Oak Hall, where children studied, a chic fireplace was revealed behind the plasterboard. The Moorish Hall already looks good, baby theatre shows are held here.
In the courtyard are the previously mentioned buildings, which are currently not subject to state protection. But they have already been taken care of — equipment is operating at the construction site.
727 million rubles have been allocated for this part. After that, it is also planned to issue a protective status. “We have an inclusive studio, a theatre studio, a discussion club — we wanted to scale up these and other projects,” says the theatre’s Director Aygul Gornysheva, separately noting the improvement of the courtyard. “Thanks to the major repairs, we will finally have a small hall. We will be able to conduct excursions!”
The theatre is touring and gaining a new audience
The Kazan Youth Theatre is small, notes Gornysheva, it seats only 267 people. Having moved from Ostrovsky Street in June, the troupe began to actively work at third-party venues — there are 17 of them:
“When the older generation left the stage, they kissed it and said ‘See you later,’” says the director. “This time brought us together.”
“It took us a long time to get going, but I think we’ll get there pretty quickly,” says Gushchin. “The contractor has been selected, the deadlines have been set, the budget year has not been cancelled, I think that by December of this year we will already see some active implementation of work within the first stage.”
According to the head of the committee for the protection of cultural heritage sites, it is expected that all work will be completed by 2026–2027.
When asked whether the Youth Theatre could work during this time, for example, in the old building of the Kamal Theatre, Gornysheva noted:
“New audiences come with new places. Not everyone could go to the centre. When we work in a cultural centre with 500–600 seats, we see how many spectators come. And we understand that with this spectator we will then return here.”
And she invited us to a new premiere — it will take place in Levchenko, where, as not everyone knows, there is a cultural centre called Polymer.
