After the April occupation, from 1920 to April 29, 1923, the Baku Free Critical and Propaganda Theater operated in the building. The main task of this theater was to carry out Bolshevik propaganda among the workers and the poor. Later, in 1923, the theater was renamed the Baku Workers' Theater. At the time, the theater troupe is complemented by actors from Odessa, Moscow and Irkutsk. By 1928, the oriental-style appearance of the building was completely changed and certain parts were added to it. However, after this reconstruction, the building became more like a factory or a prison, which provoked protests from local residents.