The article deals with introducing the Russian audience to the performing arts in the 18th century and formation of the culture of behavior of theater audience. The rules of public behavior developed gradually, in conjunction with the lifestyle and mentality of society. In many ways, they were the result of the experience of visiting all kinds of spec-tacles passed on from generation to generation. In this connection, the work covers a vari-ety of performances, ranging from dramas, tragedies, performances with musical numbers to concerts and opera productions. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the analysis of the combination of factors due to which the behavior of the unenlightened Russian public evolved by the end of the 18th century to such an extent that it became the subject of admira-tion for Western European contemporaries.