The Vasilache Theater for Children and Youth (Teatrul pentru Copii și Tineret Vasilache) is a puppet and animation theater in Botoșani, housed in a building erected in 1890 for the local craftsmen’s society Izvorul Vieții. Before becoming a theater, the building was used as a hall for social gatherings and later fell into disuse.
The present theater institution was founded on May 1, 1953 under the name Red Tie (Cravata Roșie), with Max Weber as its first director. Weber also oversaw the refurbishment of the old craftsmen’s building for theatrical use, and the first production, Micul gâscănel, premiered there on June 25, 1953. The building was formally transferred to the state theater in 1956.
In 1973, the theater adopted the name Vasilache after a well-known traditional Romanian puppet character. Its repertoire developed around puppetry, marionettes, object theater and other forms of animation, with productions ranging from original works to adaptations of Romanian and international literature. The institution received its present name, Vasilache Theater for Children and Youth, in 2008.
The building contains the performance hall together with rehearsal spaces, dressing rooms, workshops, storage and administrative rooms. Its façade is symmetrical, with a broad central entrance, regularly spaced upper-floor windows and restrained decorative detailing.
