It was founded on October 6, 1921, at the initiative of several personalities led by Sergiu T. Niță, who was the Minister of Bessarabia in the Romanian government. Other notable figures involved in its establishment included Stefan Ciobanu (a member of the Romanian Academy), writers Nicolae N. Beldiceanu, Nicolae Beldiman, Leon Donici, and director Gheorghe Mitu Dumitriu.

The inaugural season commenced with the performance of “Fântâna Blanduziei” by Vasile Alecsandri. Despite operating for only one season, the theater successfully staged over 25 productions. In 1922, responding to a request from the Ministry of Culture in Bucharest, a project was developed to establish a Permanent Propaganda Troop of the Ministry of Arts for Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Transylvania. Bucharest actors Vasile Leonescu and Constantin Mărculescu were entrusted with the reorganization of the Chisinau Theater.

Over the next 10 years, the National Theater in Chisinau was directed by notable individuals such as George Topârceanu, Corneliu Sachel Arescu, and Ion Livescu. Renowned actors like Emil Botta, Stefan Braborescu, Sergiu Cujbă, and Mişu Fotino breathed life into characters and stories on the stage of Chisinau’s first professional theater.

However, due to financial constraints, as per the ministerial order of 1935, the National Theater in Chisinau, along with those in Craiova and Chernivtsi, was forced to close its doors.

Many years later, in 1994, the National Theater was revived under the name Mihai Eminescu. In a relatively short span, the Mihai Eminescu National Theater garnered approximately 30 significant awards, winning acclaim not only from the Chisinau audience but also earning recognition at national competitions and international festivals.