Hermitage theatre, St. Petersburg (RU) visited May 2016

This intimate neoclassical theatre, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi and once the private theatre of the imperial family, stands on the site of the original Winter Palace of Peter I

The theatre was built in the period 1783 – 1787 by order of Empress Catherine the Great, and said to be based on Palladio's Teatro Olimpico

The arena shaped audience room has some reminiscence to it, but the rest is completely different.

The stage was completely renewed and the shape is very big compared to the audience room.

The guide claims the outer walls of the stage are still in its original place, but for me, that’s hard to believe.

In the back is for instance a concrete projection booth, used to do back projection on the backdrop, probably dating from the time of the highly flammable celluloid film.

There is no sign of under stage machinery left, the upper grid is in wood, but from recent date.

The roof structure over the stage and audience room, is of a typical early 1900s steel construction, but the guide claims it dates back to the late 19th century.

Some sources say that after the Russian Revolution, the theater was closed and used as office. In 1991, the theater was used again for performances.

Some of the machinery seems to be from an earlier date to me.

The mechanism to guide the electric cables of the grand chandelier looks very well crafted.

The theatre is home to performances of several Russian ballet companies.

Although the stage technology is quite modern, the get in is still a challenge.