Before its establishment, acting troupes from Moscow and St. Petersburg periodically visited Saratov, but only played private functions for the city's wealthier inhabitants.

In 1859, Franz Schechtel (ru: Франц Осипович Шехтель), a wealthy merchant of German descent, opened his private home theater to the general public.

In 1915 a large group of professional actors moved from Kyiv to Saratov.

Among them was Ivan Slonov, one of the most famous actors in the Russian Empire at the time.

[1] In 1991, with the fall of the Soviet Union, it changed its name to Ivan Slonov Dramatic Theater.