"Shelter of the Comedian" was founded as a one-actor theatre in 1987 by the artist of the Bolshoi Drama Theatre Yuri Timoshevsky. However, soon the theatre began to stage not only solo performances, but also large dramatic productions with the involvement of famous artists.

The theatre found its home in the center of St. Petersburg, on Sadovaya Street, "Shelter of the Comedian" became the country's first state repertoire theatre where guest directors form groups of directors and actors for their performances.

Such directors as: Andrei Moguchy, Konstantin Bogomolov, Grigory Dityatkovsky and others staged their performances in the "Shelter of the Comedian." Many popular theatre and film artists, including People's and Honored Artists of Russia, appeared on the stage of the theatre. Among them: Zinaida Sharko, Alexander Demyanenko, Daria Moroz, Ivan Krasko.

The theatre's repertoire includes 20 performances of Russian and foreign classics, as well as modern dramatic productions. The Shelter of the Comedian Theatre is a repeated winner of the Golden Soffit Higher Theatre Award and the Golden Mask National Award.