The footlights
have burned since 1920
The Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theatre named after Samad Vurgun — a living stage for the classics and the contemporary in the heart of Baku.
A stage where all the world's drama speaks
For more than a century our curtain has risen over Baku. Here Shakespeare and Chekhov, Dostoevsky and Molière, Lermontov and Nizami take the stage — in Russian, before an audience for whom theatre has always been part of the city's soul.
From the agit-theatre of the 1920s to the academic stage of today, this is a story of devotion to the word, to the actor's craft, and to an audience that returns generation after generation.
Upcoming performances
Hamlet
A tragedy of a prince, of vengeance and the price of truth — one of the summits of the theatre's world repertoire.
Dates & tickets
The Seven Beauties
A 2024 premiere directed by Alexander Sharovsky — Nizami's poem on the dramatic stage.
Dates & tickets
The Cherry Orchard
A farewell to an old world in which laughter and tears are inseparable.
Dates & ticketsWhat you will see
The classics
Shakespeare, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Lermontov — a vast repertoire of world and Russian drama.
Premieres
New productions by artistic director Alexander Sharovsky and guest masters.
For children
The fairy tales of Andersen and Pushkin and musical productions — a young theatregoer's very first stage.
People's Artist of Azerbaijan, artistic director since 1993
Meet the company“The theatre lives as long as the house lights dim and the audience holds its breath for the first word.”
A stone's throw from the Old City
The theatre stands at Khagani Street, 7 — beside the Sahil metro station, the Seaside Boulevard and the Icherisheher fortress.
Plan your visit