Tour of the Big Theater

On August 12, 2026, staff from the Belarusian State Archives and Museum of Literature and Art visited the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus.

This visit has a particularly symbolic significance, as the archives and museum carefully preserve the theater’s unique documentary materials, sketches of sets and costumes, and the personal collections of prominent figures who shaped the history and glory of the country’s premier opera and ballet theater.

During the tour, the BSAML staff walked through the main foyers, examined the auditorium and boxes, walked onto the bare stage, descended to the orchestra pit, and delved into the underground holds to observe the complex engineering structures firsthand. The ballet classroom and small rehearsal stage impressed the archivists with their modern equipment and sophisticated structural elements, which precisely match the main stage and allow for optimal preparation of the performance for the live audience. A key highlight was a visit to the opera house archives, where colleagues had prepared a special exhibition of unique documents and museum items that will eventually be transferred to the BGAMLI for permanent storage.

The behind-the-scenes tour, led by Evgenia Olegovna Otchik, a specialist in organizational and creative management, and the informational support for the archival exhibition, organized by Natalia Vladimirovna Oleynikova, a specialist in the documentation department, provided the archivists with not only a thrilling experience but also valuable professional experience, and the opportunity to become acquainted with the «inner workings» of the theater’s creative process.

The BGAMLI team expresses its sincere gratitude to the theater’s management and specialists for the warm welcome. Such visits strengthen the ties between cultural organizations and archives and inspire the creation of new research and exhibition projects.

1. BGAMLI staff visited the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus on a tour

2. The tour began in the main foyer of the Bolshoi Theatre

3. During a backstage tour of the theatre

4. During a visit to a ballet class

5. BGAMLI staff with E.O.Otchik in the small rehearsal hall