One of Moscow's most popular theatres, the Tabakerka, is celebrating its 20th anniversary by laying the foundations of a new, more spacious and comfortable, building.

To mark the event all the actors have provided a photograph to go into a time capsule buried under the new auditorium.

“Tabakerka” stands for “snuff-box” in English, and it got its name after its founder and art director, Oleg Tabakov.

The Tabakerka has always attracted a lot of theatre-lovers by its fresh and original performances and talented actors.

“We had many problems. We didn't have a proper building. But what we’ve always had  is a big audience,” said Oleg Tabakov at the laying of the cornerstone ceremony.

“We have seen lots of changes over the years. Some have come, some have gone. But we had the most important thing – a real theatrical life,” remarks actor Sergey Bezrukov.

Many of the actors first came to Tabakerka as promising newcomers and have now become part of the elite of Russian theatre and cinema. But they are all devoted to their first theatrical home and are full of hopes, that the new building will give them even more inspiration.