 An important person in the kapustnik history is Mikhail Shchepkin, one of Russia's most famous actors who rose in fame at the Moscow Maly Theater in the middle of the 19th century.He hosted a great number of post-show parties at his home, where, as a skilled storyteller, he would grab everyone's attention.These gatherings involved much game-playing and improvised performances for actors and writers to poke fun at one another; this came to be known as the satirical kapustnik.