The first performance was Libahunt (The Werewolf) by the Estonian writer August Kitzberg.
The Estonian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from the theatre's balcony on 23 February 1918, one day before it was proclaimed in Tallinn.
The theatre was destroyed by fire in 1944, and the Soviet authorities opted not to restore the theatre but to demolish it with explosives in 1961 due to it being an important symbol of Estonian independence.
[3] From 1948 until 1986, the actress and singer Olli Ungvere was engaged at the theater.
The actor Margus Oopkaup was a performer at the theater from 1982 until 2000.