Theatrical art has always been very popular in the Russian Empire, and the opening of the Irkutsk Drama Theater in 1850 was a significant event for the city. This theater quickly became one of the most visited places, where representatives of the nobility, merchants, as well as ordinary townspeople and visiting peasants gathered. The founder of the theater was the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky. Today, the theater is one of the oldest in the country. Initially, its troupe performed in a wooden building constructed in 1851, but later moved to a stone mansion built between 1894 and 1897 by the renowned architect Viktor Alexandrovich Shreter.

The first production of the Irkutsk theater was Nikolai Alexandrovich Polevoy's play "A Russian Man Remembers Good." The audience warmly welcomed the performance and generously rewarded the actors with applause, becoming regular visitors to the theater. On the stage of the Irkutsk theater, not only local actors performed but also touring companies, including such masters as Konstantin Alexandrovich Varlamov, Maria Gavrilovna Savina, Mamont Viktorovich Dalsky, Vera Fedorovna Komissarzhevskaya, and other notable figures of Russian theater.

Today, the Irkutsk Academic Drama Theater bears the name of Okhlopkov. It survived the Soviet era without closing down, unlike many other institutions. Over 170 years of the theater's existence, local acting traditions have not only been preserved but have also developed. The theater is still considered one of the best, featuring talented actors and staging significant performances. Irkutsk theatergoers also pay attention to local history, particularly with productions about Admiral Kolchak and his companion Anna Timireva, who are referred to as the Russian Romeo and Juliet.