On the occasion of World Theatre Day (March, 27) an exhibition "Theatre in A.A.Osmerkin's creative work" was presented in A.A.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum. This exhibition is one of the art and photo-documentary exhibitions of the cycle of events dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the artist.
   The basis of the exposition is made up of unique photos of Alexander Osmerkin in theatre costumes from the family album, that were given to the museum by the artist's widow Nadezhda Gerorgievna Osmerkina, and rare copies of photo-documentary materials from Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (Moscow). All these photos and documents present A.A.Osmerkin's theatre work - costumes and sets sketches for different performances, playbills and invitation cards for the premieres in the leading theatres of Moscow and Leningrad.
   Special attention is attracted by Alexander Osmerkin's photo in the role of Hamlet in amateur theatricals during his studies in Elizabethgrad Real School at the end of the 1900s. And it is not accidentally, becoming an actor, devoting himself to stage was Alexander Osmerkin's childhood dream. The house of his uncle, famous Elisavetgrad architect Jakov Pauchenko, was full of creative atmosphere - plays were performed and musical evenings were organized there. "Being a young man and living in a provincial town, Osmerkin got interested in theatre. But despite his wonderful appearance, he hadn't become an actor. A painter prevailed in him, though Melpomene hadn't stop trying to entice him to stage…" wrote in her reminiscences A.A.Osmerkin's student, famous Russian scene-painter Sofiya Yunovich.
   With time, this youthful fancy for theatre had been realized in A.A.Osmerkin's active work on plays decoration - "Leda" by A.Kamenskiy in Theatre of cults "Izida" (1918) and "Fuente Ovejuna" by Lope de Vega in Free Theatre (1919-1920) in Moscow; jubilee Pushkin's play in the Great Drama Theatre of Leningrad (1937), by the way, at the first night of this play Alexander Osmerkin met Anna Akhmatova, their friendship lasted many years; "Hot Heart" to the 120th anniversary of A. Ostrovskiiy in Kazan Great Drama Theatre in 1936. Quite a lot sketches of theatre costumes and sets were made, but the play wasn't performed, because of the stage director arrest and theatre closure.