The beginnings of the activity of the Belarusian State Theatre – 2 in Vitebsk. "Tsar Maximilian" – a masterpiece of the Belarusian theatre of the early 20th century.

The subject of the research is the staging of “Tsar Maksimilian”, realized by students of the Belarusian Theatre Studio in Moscow. It was a period when young students under the direction of teachers of the Moscow Art Theater-2 prepared a repertoire, which they will show in Belarus. The performance was a part of the repertoire of the Belarusian State Theater – 2 in Vitebsk and enjoyed great success. He was shown for three seasons. The director, Valentin Smyshlyaev, had several goals: to use Belarusian folklore, to engage the whole group of actors, and on the example of this drama, raise issues such as good and evil, faith, love, power and duty, loyalty to certain ideas. The author of the article, based on archival materials, memories of actors and theater reviews, reconstructs the performance that should occupy an important place in the history of Belarusian theatre.