The first performance of the permanent Russian theatrical troupe in Vilnius took place on December 6, 1864, with Nikolai Polevoy's play "A Tangled Affair, or The Grandfather of the Russian Fleet."

The permanent Russian theatrical troupe in Vilnius appeared in the second half of the 19th century. Before World War I, actress Vera Komissarzhevskaya performed for several seasons at the Vilnius City Theatre, and director Vsevolod Meyerhold gave lectures. In 1915, the troupe of the Russian Drama Theatre disbanded. In 1919 and 1939, when Lithuania was part of the Polish Republic, Polish and Jewish theatres operated in Vilnius. The Russian Drama Theatre of Lithuania resumed its activities only in 1946. In 1990, after Lithuania declared independence, the theatre was named the Russian Drama Theatre of Lithuania.

The theatre building on Jono Basanavičiaus Street is the oldest in Lithuania (it celebrated its centenary in October 2013) and the first built in the country specifically for theatre. Its reconstruction is planned with funds allocated by the EU.