Bestuzhev Theatre, Russian drama theatre in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
Bestuzhev Theatre is a drama and opera house in central Ulan-Ude, housed in a Soviet-era building decorated with motifs drawn from Buryat art. The building has a large main hall and smaller side spaces that host a range of productions throughout the season.
Construction began in 1938, designed by Moscow architects, but was interrupted by World War II and the theatre finally opened on May 1, 1952. It was named after Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin, one of the Decembrists who were exiled to Siberia in the 19th century.
The Bestuzhev Theatre stages plays in both Russian and Buryat, making it one of the few theatres in Russia that regularly performs in an indigenous language. Attending a Buryat-language production gives visitors direct contact with a living language rarely heard outside this region.
The theatre usually closes for part of the summer when the company goes on tour, so it is worth checking the schedule before planning a visit. Booking in advance is a good idea for popular shows, as seats fill up quickly.
The ceiling of the main hall is covered in murals made using a technique that required around 55,000 eggs during construction, as egg yolk was used as a binding agent in the paint. This method helped the paintings hold up over the decades without fading.
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