The unification of the current academic National Drama Theater into a single collective, placing it under the auspices of the state, assigning it an official name and allocating a building for permanent activity began in 1919.

Since the formation of theatrical art (March 10, 1873), the State Theater was founded for the first time in 1919. The theater was placed at the disposal of the Ministry of Education and certain measures have been taken for its further development.

The building of the Mailov Brothers Theatre was transferred to the State Theatre (the State Turkic Theatre), which united various theatre troupes. On October 24, 1919, the State Theater was officially opened. All heads of State and Government attended the opening ceremony. During the 4-day celebrations, Isa bey Ashurbeyli's play "Azerbaijan Jan" was presented for the first time. In the following days "Kaveh the Blacksmith" by Shamseddin Sami, Mirzabala Mammadzade's "Battle of Baku" and Jafar Jabbarli's "Baku War" were performed on the stage of the theatre. Both of these plays were dedicated to the events of March 1918 when the Army of Islam under the command of the Turkish General Nuri Pasha entered Baku to assist in the fight against the Dashnaks. From 1919 until April 28th, 1920, the theatre was called the State Theatre.

In April 1920, after the occupation of Azerbaijan, by the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the Azerbaijan SSR of July 1, 1920, the "United State Theater" was created. It included all the troupes and amateur groups operating in Baku.

By the decree of the People's Commissariat of Education of the Azerbaijan SSR dated March 1st, 1921, the theatre was renamed the Azerbaijan Theatre Troupe.

Shortly after the decision was made in March 1921, by an official government decree, the collective was officially renamed the “Turkish State Theater” and named after the Bolshevik Dadash Bunyazade.

In early 1922, by a new government decision, the United State Theater was reorganized again. In 1922, the drama troupe separated from the United State Theater and became an independent theater. On January 17, 1922, a few days after the start of activity in the Tagiyev Theater building, the Azerbaijan State Drama Theater opened with a performance of Mirza Fatali Akhundzade's comedy "Haji Kara".

The theater was officially named the United State Theatre, Azerbaijan Turkish Drama Theater, named after Dadash Bunyadzade. The company worked in the building of Taghiyev's theater until August 1960. In August, the theater moved to its current building, built in a modern architectural style, located on Fuzuli Square.

On April 24, 1923, the Board of the People's Commissariat of Education of the Azerbaijan SSR decided to change the names of the state theaters, in Baku. In accordance with this decision, the Russian Opera Theater was renamed the "State Bolshoi Theater" (SBT), and the ", Azerbaijan Turkish Drama Theater, named after Dadash Bunyadzade " was renamed the "State Maliy Theater" (SMT).

Since 1924, the art center has been named the State Turkish Academic Drama Theater named after Dadash Bunyazade (STADT).

On October 21, 1929, by a decree of the People's Commissariat of National Education, the word "Academic" was replaced by the word "Artistic" and the theater was renamed the "State Turkic Art Theater" (STAT).

By the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the Azerbaijan SSR dated March 5, 1933, the name of the theater was changed once more. It was decided to add the name "Mashadi Azizbekov", and the theater became known as the Azerbaijan State Drama Theater named after Meshadi Azizbekov (ASDT).

Soon after, a special emblem of the theater was created with the abbreviation ASDT, which was applied to the theater booklet and stage curtains.

By the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR dated December 16, 1959, the theater was awarded the status of “academic” and was renamed the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theater named after Meshadi Azizbekov (ASADT).

On December 27, 1991, by the decision of the Baku City Council, while retaining the word “academic”, the name of the theater was changed to “Azerbaijan Academic National Drama Theater” (AANDT).

Today's Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater is considered the spiritual successor of those who laid the foundations of a new art in our national culture with the play "Adventures of the Lankaran Khanate Vizier" in 1873. Therefore, the history of the establishment of our national theatre is inextricably intertwined with the history of the Academic theatre.

Recommended literature:

1. Rəhimli, İlham Əziz oğlu. Akademik Milli Dram Teatrı / İ. Ə. Rəhimli; elmi red.: B. Ə. Nəbiyev, İ. S. Kərimov. I kitab. - Bakı : QAPP-POLIQRAF NPK, 2002. - 440 s.
2. Rəhimli, İlham Əziz oğlu. Akademik Milli Dram Teatrı / İ. Ə. Rəhimli; elmi red.: B. Ə. Nəbiyev, İ. S. Kərimov. II kitab. - Bakı : QAPP-POLIQRAF NPK, 2002. - 464 s.
3. Rəhimli, İlham Əziz oğlu. Azərbaycan milli teatrının poetikası / İ. Ə. Rəhimli; elmi red. V. İbrahimoğlu. - Bakı : QAPP-POLIQRAF NPK, 2002. - 224 s.