Founded in 1929 by a small group of enthusiasts, The Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater was ‘homeless’ for a long time and had to give its performances in various venues, such as the Cultural Center, Young Spectator’s Theater and Art Center. It was not until 1979 that the theater got its own building, with a façade stylized as a stage and curtain, on Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street, main pedestrian precinct of Nizhny Novgorod. The side façade still bears the earlier name, Gorky Puppet Theater.

The theater offers classical productions for children aged 3 and above. The youngest spectators favor Kolobok, Teremok and Little Red Riding Hood, while schoolchildren like The Secret of the Apricot Tree and Mowgli.

The Puppet Theater offers performances for adults, too. These include, for example, The Stone Guest from Alexander Pushkin‘s Little Tragedies collection of plays, or Khanuma, a vaudeville about the Georgia of old (the one in the Caucasus) with its traditions, dances and songs.