Participation of Peter Stolypin in the theatrical life of Kovna in the years 1899–1901

Abstract

At the close the nineteenth century in the provincial city of Kovna there were two Russian theatres: the city theatre and the theatre in the Community Centre. The latter was subordinate to the theatre municipal committee of the Board of Trustees for People’s sobriety and therefore it was under the care of Peter Stolypin, who, at the time, served as a chairman of that committee. After the initial difficulties (in 1899) with the corps of actors, the theatre in the Community Centre developed a broad activity. Its repertoire and ticket prices were addressed to the indigent audience, which meant that it was not competitive with the municipal theatre. Contrary to what some historians have written, Peter Stolypin, the then marshal of the nobility of Kovna province, was not the director of the theatre or the theatre enterprise. But his role in the organization of the theatre in the Community Centre was significant.