Documentary exhibition at the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the theater’s opening and start of operations

On September 8, 2025, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter referred to as NARB) opened the exhibition «Dedicated to the Theater».

On the occasion of the opening of the 106th season at the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater and the approaching 105th anniversary of its opening and start of operations, a joint exhibition of the theater and NARB was opened on September 8, 2025. For a whole month, the theater opens a museum within its walls, the main exhibits will be the most interesting documents related to the history of the development of the Kupala Theater and its formation as the first stage of the country. All materials are shown to the public for the first time. This is a unique project of great importance, and each viewer has the opportunity to touch the more than a century-old history of the oldest Belarusian theater. You can learn about the performances that were shown on the Kupala stage several decades ago, about the theater’s activities during the Great Patriotic War and more with the help of rare documents from the 20th century.

Do you know what the famous artist Vladimir Vladimirsky wrote about himself in his autobiography? And what did they say about the Kupala Theater after his performance at the Kremlin Theater in Moscow? And what words did colleagues use to describe the legendary Stefania Stanyuta?

NARB is presenting unique archival documents at the exhibition for the first time: Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on awarding the 1st Belarusian State Theater with the Order of the Red Banner of Labor; lists of art workers of the BSSR nominated for the award in 1940; personal record sheet and creative characteristics of S. M. Stanyuta; personal record sheet and autobiography of the People’s Artist of the BSSR V. I.Vladimirsky (Maleiko); reports on the work of the 1st Belarusian Order of the Red Banner of Labor Drama Theater in 1942; Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR on assigning the name «Academic» to the Belarusian State Drama Theater named after Yanka Kupala, awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, in 1955; minutes of meetings of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus, reports on the work, as well as the repertoire of the Belarusian State Academic Theater named after Yanka Kupala for different years; minutes of the meeting of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus on the performance of the Yanka Kupala Theater at the Kremlin Theater in Moscow in March 1960; other documents.

1. Opening of the exhibition at the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater

2. General Director of the Kupala Theater A.V.Shestakov makes a welcoming speech

3. Director of the National Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.K.Demyanyuk makes a welcoming speech

4. Director of the National Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.K.Demyanyuk presents copies of archival documents and an archive publication to General Director of the Kupala Theatre A.V.Shestakov

5. Visitors get acquainted with archival documents at the exhibition

6. Head of the Department of the National Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences M.A. Starostenko introduces the exhibition to the participants of the event

7. At the exhibition of archival documents

8. Archival documents and museum exhibits at the exhibition

9. Archival documents and museum exhibits at the exhibition

10. Archival documents and museum exhibits at the exhibition

11. Archival documents and museum exhibits at the exhibition