The theatre was founded in 1883. Seven years later, it was expanded and opened with the performance Guilty Without Fault by Alexander Ostrovsky. In 1898, it was there that the career of Feodor Chaliapin and Sergei Rachmaninoff took off, propelling two Russian geniuses onto the world stage. In 2008, the theatre opened after a major renovation. Today, Yalta's theatre ranks among Russia's best theatres.