State Academic Russian Drama Theater named after M. Gorky has a history going back to 1899

In the 1920s - 1930s, the theater was fully staffed but still didn’t have its own building. The theatre put on shows in the People's House (currently – the Border Guard Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan), the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the Summer Theater without the opportunity to perform in winter. The building at 13 Zheltoksan Street (former gymnasium) was given to the theater in 1939 and now it is a state-protected cultural heritage site.

During the Great Patriotic War, the theater continued to work. In 1942, Voroshilovograd Theater (known today as Luhansk Academic Russian Drama Theater) was evacuated to Akmolinsk and was performing there. Former prisoners of ALZHIR (camp for members of the families of traitors to the Motherland) joined the troupe. In 1943, the Kazakh branch began its work. The first performances of this period were “Zharis” (“Competition”) based on the play by Gabiden Mustafin, “Kozy-Korpesh and Bayan Sulu” and “Aldar Kose”.

In 1959, the theater was named after Maxim Gorky.

In the 1960s, the theater was at its peak. “Saken Seifullin,” a play by Sabit Mukanov, was staged in Russian for the first time. In 1970-1980, took a stylistic turn towards Socialist Realism.

After Kazakhstan gained independence, the theater was rebuilt and began to look for new plays to stage because of the growing interest in the history of the Kazakh people and the national culture. The genre of historical drama came to the fore and the theater staged “Genghis Khan” by Iranbek Orazbayev in 1992.

The theatre performed “I recovered my sight in search of truth ...” based on the novel “The Path of Abai” by Mukhtar Auezov. The play was directed by the legendary Azerbaijan Mambetov in 1995. Later on, in 1997, “Khan Kene” by Mukhtar Auezov was staged.

During the pandemic, the theater established “Gorky FM” radio station. Also, a unique “Cinema in the Theater” project was implemented, during which short films about theater were shot. In 2021, with the support of the Akimat of Nur-Sultan, in collaboration with the Russian Institute of Theater Arts (GITIS), the theater produced Grigory Gorin's play “Kin IV.”

Most of the performances are directed by guest directors, set designers, and composers, who bring new ideas and artistic vision. Over the years, several directors collaborated with the theater: Azerbaijan Mambetov, Kadyr Zhetpisbaev, Bolat Ayukhanov, Gulsina Mergalieva, Nurlan Asanbekov (Kyrgyzstan), Barzu Abdurazzakov (Tajikistan), Leonid Chigin, Alexander Kanevsky, Yonas Vaitkus, Agnius Yankevicius (Lithuania), Egishe Gevorkyan (Austria), Sergey Potapov, Yuri Kvyatkovsky, Tufan Imamutdinov, Racha Makhataev, Evgeny Gelfond, and others.