In 1867, a two-story stone house with an annex was built on land owned by the Makaryov merchants. In 1913, the Greek Favrikodoros rented this territory and expanded the building, opening the cinema "Kino-Palas," designed for a thousand viewers. However, the cinema did not last long, and by 1914, under the project of architect N.A. Spirina, the building was converted into a theatre, where the troupe of entrepreneur and actor P.P. Struysky moved. This theatre was little known in Moscow, mainly catering to the residents of Zamoskvorechye. From the 1915/16 season, Struysky's Theatre became the Theatre of Miniatures.

In 1917, when Leonid Utyosov first arrived in Moscow, he visited Struysky's theatre on Bolshaya Ordynka. He recalled that the hall was full of small merchants, petty bourgeois, craftsmen, and workers who did not understand and even rejected Odessa humor, which surprised him and gave him a sense of a cold reception.

The theatre survived the 1917 revolution and was nationalized, receiving a new name, "District Theatre of the Zamoskvoretsky Council," but Struysky remained the director. Various opera and dramatic companies performed on its stage, and variety concerts were held. In the mid-1920s, the theatre was renamed again to "Moscow Theatre of the Leningrad Council."

During the war, in 1944, thanks to the efforts of K.A. Zubov, the building at Bolshaya Ordynka, 69 was transferred to the Small Theatre and became its branch. The first performance took place on January 1, 1944 ("At a Busy Place" by A.N. Ostrovsky featuring V.N. Pashennaya), and the first premiere was the play "Engineer Sergeyev," dedicated to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, written under the pseudonym "Vsevolod Rokk," which concealed the People's Commissar of State Security of the USSR, Vsevolod Merkulov.

Today, the Small Theatre unites a single repertoire and acting ensemble. The traditions, philosophy, and theatrical school of the Small Theatre are preserved on Bolshaya Ordynka. Here, the stage has become an experimental platform for young theatrical groups offering original modern interpretations.