Ryazan has a great and glorious history. This city became one of the centers of Russian statehood, which laid the foundation of Russian culture. This book reconstructs the panorama of provincial cultural life in the pre-revolutionary period. The object of attention is the Ryazan theater. The author considers in chronological order the processes, common for all Russian provincial theaters (provincial and district ones), keeps record of the facts, connected with the construction of theatrical buildings, appearance of theatrical entreprises, circles and societies. The study of archival materials has highlighted the main factors that influenced the formation and development of musical and theatrical art in the province, as well as the role and significance of musical organizations and individual figures in the historical past of a provincial town. The appendix includes illustrative material - posters, archival documents, and photographs from the pre-revolutionary period - presented to the reader for the first time.