State Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema of Ukraine – A Cultural Experience

Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is famous for the immense number of cultural activities it has available, making it literally the cultural center of the country. You will find over sixty different museums, a variety of art galleries and other historical and cultural sites and buildings in this city. Through the decades Ukraine has become increasingly more recognized for its artists and art pieces, many of which are recognized internationally.

One of these must-see museums is the State Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema of Ukraine. Here you will see a unique collection of items that originate from theater, cinema and music, which have been collected over the years. You are able to see how each began and how they have progressed over time to what they are today. Today the Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema is the only one of its kind featuring displays and collections of this sort.

The collections seen here at the State Museum began in 1923, making some of the exhibits over eighty years old. The collection was started originally for the purpose of research and documentation in an attempt to record the cultural history of the country. The Museum has also been used often for teaching purposes; an apt place to lecture students on theater and cinema and its history in Ukraine. Often the conference rooms here are used for scientific presentations and conferences, so there is always something happening.

A group or union called ‘Berezil’ founded the museum the same year when the collections began. It started off as a theater museum that was looked after by well-known actors. These experienced professionals were given the responsibility of arranging exhibits and creating new collections that represented the Ukrainian theatre. These collections included exhibits of photos, drawings, posters and costumes all related to theater.

Not long after, a new property was bought for the State Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema of Ukraine by the city. Then in 1926 Berezil moved the collection to Kharkiv, the capital of Ukraine at that time, and it was looked after by the All-Ukrainian Science Academy. A year later the collections were opened to the public. There were four theaters representing different theater genres and documents all related to this industry. The collections were also taken out of doors and moved around to different locations in an attempt to show off these exhibits to a wider audience.

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