Cultural contacts with the countries of people's democracy and the West have become increasingly stable and diverse in recent years. Acquaintance with progressive foreign art has expanded and enriched the repertoire. The role of theater in strengthening these cultural ties is significant. It is the stage that best introduces audiences to all that is advanced in the creative work of artists from all over the world.
The theater's efforts in this direction are quite justified. The search for and discovery of interesting dramatic works from foreign literature should be considered a positive aspect of the creative team of the Russian Theater named after Ch.T. Aitmatov.
Thus, the play "Aesop" by Brazilian playwright G. Figueiredo has undoubtedly enhanced the theater's repertoire. The staging of this work, unusual in form and deeply philosophical in content, inspired the team to work with true enthusiasm. The question of how successful the performance was seems secondary here; what is more important is the unusual element that has been introduced into the creative practice of the theater through this new production.
"The Stone Nest" by H. Vuoliyoki is a significant chapter in the theater's creative journey. This play by H. Vuoliyoki resonated with true power. It turned out that the experiences of Finnish girls can be just as close to their peers in Frunze as the feelings of Masha from "The Kremlin Chimes." The issues raised in the play by the progressive Finnish writer are of general interest.
Equally unusual and unexpected was the performance of "Filumena Marturano" by the progressive Italian writer Eduardo De Filippo on the theater's stage.
De Filippo is a very distinctive, deep, and subtle artist. He needs to be rediscovered, not just staged. In particular, in "Filumena Marturano," the life conflict that forms the basis of the play has high social significance and is truly typical. The author's style captivates the audience and keeps them in suspense throughout. De Filippo's dramaturgy is not an accidental guest in the repertoire.
A brief overview of the theater's repertoire provides grounds for some conclusions. First of all, one cannot help but notice the diversity of authors, genres, and styles. The theater's management boldly embraced experimentation and risk, fighting for complex works that were often not yet "approved" in Moscow theaters. This was the case with the play "In Search of Joy," with "Aesop," with "Filumena Marturano," and other works staged simultaneously with or sometimes even before the capital's companies. Persistent searches for contemporary plays, particularly by local authors, were wisely combined with work on Russian and world classics, on all the best that dramaturgy has to offer worldwide. And what may be especially important is that the selection of plays in the modern repertoire provides limitless opportunities for creative growth for the actors.
The creative identity of the theater has been formed over many years. Sacredly preserving the traditions of the Moscow Art Theater school, laid down by the first group of actors who arrived in 1935, striving to improve their craft, hone their technique, and elevate the ideological level of performances, the theater has become a mature collective. It develops alongside and in parallel with the Kyrgyz Drama Theater, creatively enriching itself while also assisting Kyrgyz dramaturgy in its development.
For the decade of Kyrgyz art and literature in Moscow, the Russian Theater prepared four performances: "The Kremlin Chimes," "The Merchants," "Sarynjy," and "Light in the Valley." Work on these responsible productions contributed to the further improvement of the ideological and artistic level of the theater.
