Prehistory of the theatre

In the course of several last centuries presence in Europe of either the University or the Opera Theatre in a city has become a criterium of the city's cultural level definition. Being the University city from the XVII-th century, Lviv of the XIX-th century became also the Opera city. However, inhabitants of Lviv started their acquaintance with a new kind of art (opera as a genre appeared at the breaking point of the XVI-XVIII-th centuries in Florence) long before the appearance of the City theatre (before 1939 such was the name of Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Solomiya Krushelnytska). Because already by the end of the XVII-th century several wandering troupes from Italian settlements roamed to Halychyna, they wanted to surprise the listeners by “an unprecedented drama in music”. In some one century and a half the opera, as a genre, had got such popularity (in many cities of Italy there were several opera theatres, which were full of the listeners every evening), that its singing wave had flown the Western Europe, where started arising own national subgenres and professional opera companies were in process of formation. One of such companies arrived in Lviv from Austria in the last quarter of the XVIII-th century.

At the time Western and Eastern Halychyna had become – after the first partition of Poland, agreed among Prussia, Austria and Russia in 1772 – the part of Austria empire and afterwards – of the Austrian – Hungarian empire. Lviv had become principal city of the Halytch region, where qualified cadres were arriving. Economics, trade, construction, education, cultural and art, including as well a theatrical, life were reviving. In the XVIII-th beginning of the XIX-th centuries performances of theatrical troupes (local ones, which were being organized for a few years or performances of troupes, which used to arrive for a week or longer) were being staged in educational institutions which had an appropriate concert hall, for similar events, such as the college of Jesuits (nowadays secondary school No. 62). Wooden building, situated within the area of modern I.Pidkova Square, was the first theatrical structure although it hadn't been built for this purpose. Having been re-constructed, it had got not only the stalls with a gallery, but also circles and boxes. So far that structure wasn't new, it had not held out for a long time, that is why in 1783 it was pulled down.

In the course of consequent years and decades there were also other projects and intentions in order to erect a new substantial theatre in Lviv. Either lack of money or, strange though it may seem, absence of a man who would be able to bring this matter to the end, blocked up those project and intentions.