It is owned by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and operated by its City Theatres (Şehir Tiyatroları) division.

[1] The theatre is named in honor of the Turkish stage actor and director Muhsin Ertuğrul (1892-1979).

The old building at the same location was partly demolished to make place for a bigger and modern one.

[2][3] It is adjacent to Istanbul Congress Center, a multi-level complex, which was built to host the 2009 IMF and World Bank Group Annual Meeting.

[4] The old theatre had lowered its stage curtain after a performance of Keşanlı Ali Destanı (Keşanlı Ali’s Epic), a musical play by the renowned Turkish playwright Haldun Taner (1915-1986).