ENThe article discusses the causes of the 42 year closure of the Polish theatres in Vilnius, between the years 1864 and 1906. According to the general opinion and historical knowledge, they were closed by the Russian authorities as a part of post-Uprising restrictions. Closer research shows, that the reasons behind it were more complex, and although the Russian policies where not facilitating the development of Polish theatre and made the conditions hard to bear for actors and audiences alike, the immediate and ultimate reason for the disappearance of Polish theatre from Vilnius was the theatergoers’ apathy. Keywords: history of Polish theatre, history of Vilnius, January Uprising, Julian Titius, Nuna Młodziejowska.