On February 5, a souvenir sheet dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation was put into postal circulation

The history of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation as a public organization uniting representatives of theatrical professions began in 1876, when the Society for Mutual Assistance of Russian Artists was founded. The institution was conceived with the aim of "providing Russian artists with greater convenience for disseminating their works to the public and improving their talents".

According to the Charter, membership was open not only to artists and stage directors, but also to “poets, composers, belles-letters playwrights, literary critics, painters, sculptors, and architects.” Among the founders, there were I. Turgenev, A. Pleshcheyev, D. Grigorovich, N. Potekhin, and V. Vereshchagin. The first chairman was actor, stage director, and playwright A. Fedotov. In 1883, the institution was transformed into a society for assisting stage performers in need, headed by well-known publisher A. Kraevsky. In 1894, the organization was renamed the Russian Theater Society, chaired by playwright A. Potekhin. In 1904, it was renamed the Imperial Russian Theater Society. In 1932, the name changed for the All-Russian Theater Society (VTO), and when theaters were transferred to fixed work in 1938, local branches opened in many Russian cities. The 15th Congress of the VTO in 1986 adopted a resolution to establish the Union of Theater Workers of the RSFSR, a full-fledged creative union. People's Artist of the USSR M. Ulyanov was elected its chairman and headed it for ten years.

Today, the Union joins up people of the theater arts from all over Russia. Its main goals are to promote the development of the arts in all areas, provide practical assistance to Russian theaters and theater schools, help protect the social, legal, and professional interests of theater artists, and create the necessary working and living conditions for Union members.

The postage stamp provides an image of the building of the Union of Theater Workers; the margins of the souvenir sheet feature a curtain and the logo of the organization.

In addition to the issue of the souvenir sheet, JSC Marka produced First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and St. Petersburg.


Design Artist: A. Yegiazaryan.
Face value: 250 rubles.
Souvenir sheet size: 80×60 mm, stamp size in the souvenir sheet: 42×30 mm.
Quantity: 16 thousand souvenir sheets.

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