We could have remembered about it two days ago — on 10 September 1756, N.S., Russian Empress Elizaveta issued a decree saying, “We have ordered to establish the Russian tragedy and comedy theater... And to that end, we also ordered to hire actors and actresses.” In addition to the first time mention of the word “actress” in the Russian legislation, this decree is famous because it established the first Russian imperial theater. On September 12, 1832, N.S., the theater company found their home. The Alexandrinsky Theater opened with the performance Pozharsky, or Liberated Moscow by Kryukovsky. The incredible architecture and luxurious ornaments concealed ingenious engineering solutions so bold that construction was even suspended by order of Nicholas I. But then everything went well, as the architect Carlo Rossi pledged his life, “If anything happens to the aforementioned building..., hang me from one of the rafters of the theater at the same hour.” Fortunately, nothing happened, which the best audience saw for themselves, as they filled the theater wall to wall on the premiere day, the newspaper Severnaya Pchela reported.