Musrepov Kazakh State Academic Theatre for Children & Youth — Almaty

An adaptation of one of Kazakh literature's most enduring novels — its title itself borrowed from a line by national poet Abai Kunanbayev. Written in 1970 and still read in schools today, it follows two young people's love in the aftermath of war. This staging brings a contemporary lens to a story nearly every Kazakh household knows by heart.

By Äzilkhan Nurshaikhov · Directed by Farkhat Moldagali · Set design by Aidana Bisembayeva

ARTиШОК Theatre — Almaty

A stage adaptation of Günter Grass's landmark post-war novel, reimagined through music, extreme vocal technique and physical, image-driven theatre in place of dialogue. Director Anton Bolkunov — a Golden Mask laureate — continues his singular "theatre of the artist," in which the stage picture itself drives the drama.

Directed & designed by Anton Bolkunov · Golden Mask laureate (2023), Arlekin laureate (2021) · Premiered July 2026

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About the production ↗

State Drama & Comedy Theatre named after Azerbaijan Mambetov — Astana

A musical portrait of Tabyldy Dosymov, regarded as Kazakhstan's first bard-poet — one of the rare artists who wrote, composed and performed his own songs, in the tradition of the country's wandering poet-musicians. Staged to mark Dosymov's 60th anniversary, it follows his student years, military service and the free spirit that shaped a short but enduring creative life.

Written by Kazybek Amanzhol · Directed by Ali Bidakhmet · Winner, Best Performance — Steppe Awards

Musrepov Kazakh State Academic Theatre for Children & Youth — Almaty

A soundrama built from live music, movement and choral voice rather than dialogue, based on Ilyas Zhansugurov's 1937 poem on the death of a legendary racehorse and the poet who mourned him. The poem's own history is as dramatic as its subject: the manuscript survived the author's Stalin-era arrest and execution only because others risked hiding its pages for decades, until his posthumous rehabilitation.

By Ilyas Zhansugurov · Directed by Farkhat Moldagali, laureate of the State Youth Prize "Dary" · Live music by Steppe Sons · Choreography by Adilet Tamenov

Independent — Doc Theatre Lab, Almaty

A documentary solo performance built from the diaries of the performer's grandfather — one of the founders of hydrogeology in Soviet Kazakhstan — found by chance after his death. Part family chronicle, part quiet detective story about a hidden family name, it's a search for emotional connection with a grandparent's generation, and a history rarely spoken about at home.

Written & performed by Inzhu Abeu (Sydykova) · Doc Theatre Lab · Premiered December 2024 · ~12 performances across Almaty and Bishkek