Bolshoi Theatre's 237-year history
The Bolshoi Theatre has been at the heart of Russian high-culture since the early 19th century and is well-known for its off-stage drama and conflict.
The Ballet troupe has gone through five artistic directors since 1995.
The recent acid attack ranks as one of the theatre's worst incidents in its 237-year history.
- 1776: Bolshoi theatre company founded but performances initially in a private home
- 1825: New venue finally opens after repeatedly being hit by fires
- 1856: The theatre's first renovation completes in time for the coronation of Tsar Alexander II
- 1936: Soviet dictator Josef Stalin storms out of an opera by Dmitry Shostakovich
- 2003: Bolshoi bosses heavily criticised for trying to sack ballerina Anastasia Volochkova for being 'too heavy'
- 2005: The theatre, on the verge of collapse, closes for renovations following years of neglect
- 2011: After six years and a £464m renovation, the theatre reopens
- 2013: Dancer confesses to plotting an acid attack that nearly blinded the troupe’s artistic director
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