Maly Theatre

‘Maly’ means small, meaning smaller than the Bolshoi across the street. Actually, the name dates back to the time when there were only two theatres in town: the opera theatre was always called the ‘Bolshoi’, while the drama theatre was the ‘Maly’. Founded in 1824, it mainly features performances of 19th-century works by Ostrovsky and his fellow classic playwrights.