This theatre, whose name means 'small' (as opposed to bolshoi—big), opened on 14 Oct. 1824 with a company which had been in existence since 1806. It is the oldest theatre in the city, and the only one to keep its old-fashioned drop-curtain. With its unbroken history it has played an important part in the development of Russian drama.

In: Hartnoll, Phyllis, ed. The concise Oxford companion to the theatre. 1st ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1972.  ISBN 0-19-281102-9. p. 331