Bishkek City Drama Theater named after A. Umuraliyev

Bishkek City Dramatic Theater named after A. Umuraliev

The Bishkek City Dramatic Theater named after A. Umuraliev is a non-profit organization established by the Bishkek city administration in the form of an institution.

The theater was founded in 1993 by the People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Arsen Umuraliev and theater critic Tsitsygma Umuralieva as an alternative to the academic forms of state theaters. The theater's program is aimed at different age groups of the urban population and has adhered to the core principles laid down in the idea of a city theater throughout its existence.

The idea of the BGDT named after A. Umuraliev is to experiment with different forms of stage creativity. Since its inception in 1993, the theater has staged a variety of performances and concerts. In 1993, a folklore group "Saamal" was created within the theater, and two programs of Kyrgyz national music were released as a single stage action. In 1999, the theater established a jazz group "Aura," whose main repertoire consists of original music by T. Beysheev, synthesizing traditional Kyrgyz and world musical cultures. Over 18 years of work, the theater has staged works of world dramaturgy directed by directors from various countries: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, France, and others. The BGDT named after A. Umuraliev has performed and represented the theatrical and musical art of Kyrgyzstan on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater (MXAT) in Moscow, as well as in Paris, Tokyo, Denmark, Switzerland, Romania, Korea, Ukraine, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc.

The main task of the theater is to cultivate aesthetic criteria in the younger generation by presenting the achievements of world culture to the general public and forming an audience.

The idea of the BGDT named after A. Umuraliev consists of experimenting with different forms of stage creativity.

The theater opened its first season in 1993 with a performance based on the ancient Japanese legend "Crane Feathers" by D. Kinoshita, directed by Vladislav Pazi. In October of the same year, it represented the theatrical art of Kyrgyzstan at the International Theater Festival "Theater: East - West," held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. More than 30 countries participated in this forum. The performance "Crane Feathers" received high praise from festival experts and was included in the top ten best performances. It should be noted that the idea of the new theater is to experiment with different forms of stage creativity. Therefore, in 1993, a folklore group "Saamal" was created at the theater, and a program of Kyrgyz national music was released as a single stage action. It was a story about the ancient, as nature, musical soul of the people. The program of the group "Saamal" was shown in Denmark in 1994. The subsequent works of the theater reflected the search for its identity, its voice, and its theme.

In 1994, the theater turned to the ancient Kyrgyz epic "Kozhozhash." The playwright T. Osmonov wrote a stage version titled "Kereez" at the theater's request, and the performance was staged by young director N. Asanbekov.

1995 — Director N. Asanbekov staged a version of the story by Ch. Aitmatov "Red Apple": in this performance, the theater first addressed the theme of modernity.

1996 — The theater began with a performance based on the play by 18th-century Japanese playwright M. Chikamatsu "The Lovers' Suicide on the Island of Heavenly Nets" — "Amidzima," as named by the director from Turkmenistan O. Khojakuliyev. In this performance, actors and musicians from the folklore group "Saamal" were involved. The performance was showcased at the International Theater Festival "Golden Lion" in Lviv, Ukraine, in October 1996, and was recognized among the best performances of the festival, with performer O-San U. Alimova receiving the main prize for Best Actress.

November 1996. The performance "Amidzima" and the concert program of the folklore group "Saamal" presented the theatrical art of the country on the stage of MXAT in Moscow during the Days of the Kyrgyz Republic in Russia.

Forming an audience and attempting to educate its viewers is undoubtedly the main task of the theater. That is why the theater's repertoire is formed by staging performances for children and youth. This includes "Crane Feathers" and the next work based on V. Sinakevich's play "The Ugly Duckling," a fairy tale by H. X. Andersen, in the stage title "Playing Andersen." The performance was directed by the People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov.

In 1997, the theater received an invitation to participate in the International Theater Festival in Sibiu, Romania, organized by the World Fund "Peace through Culture." The performance "Crane Feathers" attracted the attention of theater specialists from various countries. The festival featured ensembles and theater schools from over 50 countries worldwide.

The constant appeal to world classical literature is justified by the theater's desire to nurture a modern actor skilled in various stylistic systems. In 1997, the theater staged performances based on one-act plays by the famous writer Prosper Mérimée — "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" and "African Love," directed by O. Khojakuliyev.

Experimentation with different genres of theatrical creativity is clearly reflected in the theater's next work, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. The performance "Estamp of Heaven" is not an evening of poetry, although it is built on the poet's verses from different periods. The main idea of the production was the search for the soul: words, movements, sounds. The performance was directed by the People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov.

In November 1997, on the eve of the theater's 5th anniversary, the artistic leadership of the theater conducted an International Theater Expert Review, inviting leading specialists from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The necessity of this review was justified by the desire to have an objective analysis of the theater's explorations: acting work, directing, scenography, and musical design. The review helped the theater determine its future repertoire policy.

In 1998, on the eve of its fifth anniversary, the theater turned to the great English playwright W. Shakespeare with a production by F. Kasymov from Tajikistan of the tragedy "King Lear" in the stage version "Kut Kagan." This production was yet another experiment for the theater: the tragedy of Lear was translated into the stylistic space of Turkic influences. For participation in the performance, honored artists of the Republic were invited — V. Sarieva, M. Alyshpaev, T. Smanbekov, Z. Sooronbaev. The role of Kagan (Lear) was played by the artistic director of the BGDT, People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic A. Umuraliev.

The theater continues its work with the city's audience: the screening of repertoire performances, presidential student balls, government and charity concerts.

In 1999, the experiment of the city theater continued with a production by young Ukrainian director Dmitry Lazorko. The performance based on W. Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" opened to the audience the space of the "Silver Age."

In the same year, People's Artist of Kazakhstan Bekbulat Parmanov staged a children's performance based on the play by Romanian playwright A. Popescu "Sunbeam." This work is directed at both the younger and adult audience. And again, an experiment — a synthesis of drama theater with the artistic means of puppet theater.

On September 24, 1999, the first solo concert of the group "Aura" took place on the stage of BGDT. Directions: jazz, fusion, folk jazz. The group's repertoire includes works by world-famous jazz composers — D. Ellington, D. Brubeck, and others. However, the main direction in which the group works is folk jazz. The musicians faced the task of creating musical material based on the synthesis of traditional Kyrgyz and world musical cultures. The main repertoire of the group consists of works by composer T. Beysheev, as well as pieces by B. Bessonov. In 1999, the first album "Aura" was created, which was recorded on a compact disc at the "Tumar Voice Record" studio in 2000.

For the first time in the history of Kyrgyz theatrical art, international joint productions were carried out with the participation of Kyrgyz BGDT actors and French actors. On January 10, the premiere of the Kyrgyz-French performance "The Golden Fleece" based on "The Argonauts" by Ap. Rhodios, the play "Medea" by Euripides, Seneca, and the film by K. Dreyer took place. The directors of the production were Adele Akim and Moritz Ober from France. In the spring of 2001, the theater toured Paris with the performance "The Golden Fleece."

The next work of the theater was the performance "Gluttony" based on the dictionary of the 18th-century French monk Antoine Furetière, directed by Natasha Kantor from France. This performance participated in the small forms festival "Young Lions" in Slovenia, Ljubljana - 2000.

The group "Saamal" continues to work fruitfully. It represents the folklore art of Kyrgyzstan at the international folklore festival "Yalta - 2000."

In August 2000, the BGDT production group, the folklore group "Saamal," and the instrumental group "Aura" participated in the international arts festival "In the Name of Peace," dedicated to the 3000th anniversary of the city of Osh.

The new millennium was met by the Bishkek City Dramatic Theater with the premiere of the performance "Kereez" based on the dastan "Kozhozhash" in the version of Z. Usenbaev and fragments of the play by T. Osmonov "Kereez." This is a fundamentally new version, and for the first time, an attempt was made to stage a dastan (a genre of oral creativity of the Kyrgyz people), and "Kozhozhash" is the oldest Kyrgyz epic. Director N. Asanbekov in this production refers to the space of "archaics." The performance "Kereez" participated in the program "Narrow View of the Scythian" at the III International Theater Olympics held in Moscow, Russia.

In 2001, the theater turned to the work of Russian classic A. S. Pushkin — "Mozart and Salieri." This performance was staged with the participation of the People's Artists of the Kyrgyz Republic Arsen Umuraliev and Marat Alyshpaev. Director E. Nogaev. The main theme of the production is "Genius and villainy are incompatible."

In the same year, the group "Aura" presented its second album "Steps." Music by T. Beysheev.

In 2002, the theater turned to the ancient Greek tragedy of Sophocles with the production "Oedipus — King." Directors E. Nogaev and People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov.

In the same year, a performance in the absurdist style was staged based on the work of contemporary French playwright Jacques Jouet "Three Times Three Wishes or the Art of Making Wishes." Director People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov.

In February 2003, the creator of the theater, People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Arsen Umuraliev, passed away. The performance "I Fly to You with Memories..." is dedicated to the memory of the theater's founder Arsen Umuraliev. Director People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov.

In 2003, director People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov staged a musical-dramatic concert "Awakening," uniting the musical and dramatic forces of the theater.

The group "Aura" presented to the audience the concert "AERO" — their third album.

In January 2004, the Bishkek City Dramatic Theater was named after the People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Asanbek Umuraliev.


In 2004, the performance "The Last Evening of Yusuf" was staged on the theme of the book by Yusuf Balasaguni "The Science of Being Happy" and the play by T. Osmonov. Director Honored Artist of Tajikistan D. Ubaidulloev.

In the summer of 2004, the group "Aura" released their fourth album "Gambling" with music by T. Beysheev.

In December, a New Year's concert program for children "Star Factory" was presented to the audience.

The year 2005 began with a performance based on the play by young Russian author N1. Lado "A Very Simple Story." Director People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov.

In 2005, the Bishkek City Dramatic Theater named after A. Umuraliev was invited to participate in the International Festival of Contemporary Asian Theaters "Asia meets Asia" in Tokyo, Japan. For this festival, the performance "World — Moment" was specially staged — an adaptation of the play "Baby and Mama" by A. Zinchuk, directed by People's Artist B. Parmanov.

The folklore group "Saamal" presented a new program "Saamal" featuring new soloists.

In 2006, young director K. Kasenov staged the performance "Oddballs" based on D. Yuldasheva's play "Oh, This Nasreddin." Also, a mono-performance "Tagdyr Kutu" - "Sunny Man," dedicated to the memory of the theater's founder, People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Arsen Umuraliev.

In the same year, the theater participated in the International Theater Festival "World of Theater" in Kazakhstan, Astana, with the performance "World-Moment."

In 2007, People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov conducted a master class in acting for the theater's artists. Following the master class, the program "Theatrical Steps" was created.

For children of different ages, the theater presented the fairy tale "Curious Little Elephant" by R. Kipling. Director People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov.

The year 2008 in Kyrgyzstan was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the outstanding Kyrgyz writer Ch. Aitmatov. The Bishkek City Dramatic Theater named after A. Umuraliev turned to "Mother's Field" with the performance "Esimde."

In September 2008, at the III Republican Theater Festival, the performance "Esimde" was nominated for "Best Performance of the Year," and the performer of the main role, Tolgonai, People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Kulayim Kanymetova, received the award for "Best Actress." The performance "Esimde" represented Kyrgyzstan at the International Theater Festival "Art-Ordo" in October 2008.

In 2009, director from Tajikistan Sultan Usmonov staged the performance "Delusion" based on the play by contemporary Azerbaijani playwright Ali Amirli "Rich Woman."

In 2011, the performance "Aylampa" was created — authored and directed by A. Maksutov from Kyrgyzstan. In the same year, the performance "Aylampa" by A. Maksutov represented Kyrgyzstan at the International Theater Festival "Sharsmuknis" in Klaipeda, Lithuania.

In 2011, a mono-version of the performance "Esimde" based on the story by Ch. Aitmatov "Mother's Field" was staged, directed by People's Artist of Kazakhstan B. Parmanov. In the same year, the mono-performance "Esimde" by Ch. Aitmatov participated in the International Festival of Mono Performances "Vidlunia" in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, as well as in the theater festival of chamber forms "Northern Meetings" in Nizhnevartovsk, Russia.

2012 was dedicated to Kurmanjan Datka in Kyrgyzstan, and the theater staged a performance based on the play by T. Osmonov "Yiyik Kurmanjan," directed by A. Maksutov, Kyrgyzstan.

In 2012, the mono-performance "Esimde" by Ch. Aitmatov represented Kyrgyzstan at the International Festival of National Theaters "Altan — Serge" in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, Russia, and also participated in the International Festival of Mono Performances "Solo" in Moscow, Russia.

In 2013, the mono-performance "Esimde" by Ch. Aitmatov represented Kyrgyzstan at the International Festival of Mono Performances "Bridge" in Hanover, Germany, and also participated in the International Theater Festival of Small Forms "Dialogue" in Vologda, Russia.

In October 2013, the Bishkek City Dramatic Theater named after A. Umuraliev found its home at the address: Chuy Avenue, 28. The first season on the new stage was opened with a performance dedicated to the memory of the theater's founder — People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Arsen Umuraliev — "Akyldan Azap" — "Woe from Wit" by A. S. Griboedov, directed by Russian director Tatiana Zakharova.

2012–2013 — The theater participates in the project "Heroes" — a Kyrgyz-German socio-cultural project involving people with disabilities and professional theater actors. Project partners: German-Kyrgyz Cultural Association (Germany), Social Village "Manas," Murake village (Kyrgyzstan), Bishkek City Dramatic Theater named after A. Umuraliev (Kyrgyzstan).

Also, during 2013–2014, the theater restored with young actors the best performances for children and youth:

"Crane Feathers" by D. Kinoshita, "Playing Andersen" by V. Sinakevich, "A Very Simple Story" by M. Lado, "Duyino — Irmem" by A. Zinchuk, "Delusion" by A. Amirli, "The Unbearable Little Elephant" by R. Kipling, and others.

The Bishkek City Dramatic Theater named after the People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic Arsen Umuraliev adheres to its main principles and ideas: returning to the stage true spectacle, cultivating moral and aesthetic criteria among viewers, and creating a world of beauty and harmony.

The theater is on its way.

Phone: +996 (312) 46-44-17
Bishkek, Ogonbaeva St., 242