Chelyabinsk state puppet theatre

The Chelyabinsk State Puppet Theater is one of the oldest in Russia and the Urals. It was created in the early 1930’s. Pavel and Nina Garyanov. The theater staged separate performances, which first went on the stage of a dramatic theater. The first performance of the puppet theater was the play “Kashtanka”. Therefore, it was October 2, 1935 that is considered the birthday of the Chelyabinsk Puppet Theater.

In 2015, the Chelyabinsk State Puppet Theater named after V. Volkhovsky marked the 80th anniversary of its founding. Such a serious date was marked by no less serious achievements: the theater is a laureate of the National Theater Prize “Golden Mask”, laureate of the RF Government Prize named after Fyodor Volkov for significant contribution to the development of Russian theatrical art, entered the national register “Leading Cultural Institutions of Russia” for successes and achievements in the field of theatrical art. The theater actively tours Russia, is a laureate and participant of numerous foreign and Russian festivals.

Also, the Chelyabinsk Puppet Theater is one of the few Russian theaters that has its own International Festival of Puppet Performances “Straw Lark”, dedicated to Valery Volkhovsky.Today’s puppet theater is full of new ideas and creative plans in mastering the complex language of the ancient and eternally young art of the puppet theater.