Theatrical Museum of Greece

The Theatrical Museum of Greece, formally known as the Museum and Study Centre of the Greek Theatre, is the principal extra-university research institution for theatre studies in Greece. Located in Athens, it was founded in 1938 by theatre historian Yiannis Sideris. Together with its affiliated Greek Centre for Theatre Research, it serves as the country's most important non-academic centre for the study and preservation of Greek theatrical heritage.

The museum was established in 1938 by the Union of Greek Playwrights, whose president at the time was the playwright Theodoros Synadinos. Yiannis Sideris, a historian of Greek theatre, was appointed its first director. The founding aimed to present the history of Greek theatre in an accessible manner and to foster international networking among Greek theatre scholars. A theatre library was soon established, collecting books and manuscripts of plays, programmes, newspaper reports, theatre reviews, and international theatre studies literature. Since 1991, the research centre and library have maintained a digital database to facilitate access to their materials. Since 1993, the institution has awarded a biennial theatre prize for special contributions to Greek theatre, with categories for performers, playwrights, directors, costume and set designers, stage music, choreography, and translation of plays into Greek.

The museum's collections focus primarily on Greek theatre of the 19th and 20th centuries, along with the modern reception of ancient theatre. Its holdings include stage models and set designs, costumes, masks, and props; shadow theatre puppets; theatre posters; and photographic, video, and audio recordings of theatre performances in Greece and of Greek works performed abroad. The institution also offers free guided programmes for children and adults.

Among the distinctive features of the exhibition are reconstructions of the dressing rooms of famous Greek personalities from theatre and opera, including Melina Mercouri and Maria Callas. These reconstructed spaces provide visitors with direct physical connection to iconic figures of Greek performing arts history.

The Theatrical Museum is housed on the ground floor of the Athens City Cultural Centre at Akademias Street 50. The theatre library is located separately at Karamanlaki Street 7. This arrangement divides the museum's public exhibition functions from its research and archival operations.

The museum operates under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which provides official information about the institution. Entry to the museum's guided programmes is free of charge. The museum maintains an official website for public access to information about its activities and holdings.