National Kaunas Drama Theatre

In November 1920, the first contracts with actors were signed, including Juozas Staniulis, Petras Kubertavičius, Ona Kurmytė, Polė Tendžiulytė, Antanina Vainiūnaitė, Teofilė Dragūnaitė-Vaičiūnienė, Viktoras Dineika, and Povilas Mačinskas.

Hermann Sudermann's St. John's Day, directed by Vaičkus, was the first play staged by the new company at the State Theatre, in December 1920.

[citation needed] Other past directors included Borisas Dauguvietis, Andrius Oleka-Žilinskas [lt], Mikhailas Chekhovas,[4] H. Vancevičius, J. Jurašas, J. Vaitkus, G. Padegimas, and G.

[2] Actors were trained by the State Theatre School of Acting, established in 1924 and led by Glinskis, Dauguvietis, Oleka-Žilinskas, and Sutkus.

Oleka-Žilinskas sought to improve performances using the methods of Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, and as part of this goal, he invited the renowned Mikhail Chekhov to join the theatre.

In 1947 a group of Lithuanian students went to GITIS, Russia, and when they returned after graduating in 1952, a new era began at the theatre.

[1] The Metropolitan (or Metropolitain) cinema was one of the first purpose-built movie theatres in Lithuania, and was a rare example of the Zigag Moderne style of Art Deco architecture.

A major renovation was carried out in 1956, preserving much of the old buildings, and with a fairly reserved facade, which retained the four sculptures at the entrance.