Since ancient times, the artistic and musical nature typical of the Uzbek people were displayed in their ritual activities. On the market squares, theatrical performances were given by maskaraboz buskers, who gathered hundreds of spectators, and at the time of national holidays, rope walkers accompanied their performances with pantomime. Nowadays, galaxies of talented actors work in the musical and drama theatre companies of Uzbekistan.
The theatre has enjoyed high popularity among audiences after staging such plays as “Bay and batrak” (“A Landlord and a Farmer”) by Hamza and “Maisara Tricks” by G.Gulom; historical plays “Alisher Navoi” by I. Sultanov and “Sohibkiron Temur” by A. Aripov. Invariably successful is the witty play “Shum bola” (“Mischievous Boy”) by G. Gulam and the play by H. Rasul “Muhabbat sultoni” (“Sultan of Love”). Uzbek spectators are also acquainted with the classics of the world’s dramatic art. Staged in different years, “Antigone” by Sophocles, “Othello” by W. Shakespeare, “Treachery and Love” by F. Schiller, “Marriage” by N. Gogol, “The Living Corpse” by L. Tolstoy, and “Before the Sunset” by G. Hauptman were distinguished by the depth of stage interpretation.
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Academic Russian drama theatre of Uzbekistan was founded in 1934. The very first play to be staged, “Intervention” by L. Slavin, was in the spirit of those times. After a number of years in the repertoire of the theatre, there appeared plays by A. Arbuzov, M. Shatrov, M. Bulgakov, F. Schiller, V. Hugo, W. Shakespeare, J-B. Molière, A. Chekhov, A. Tolstoy, Hamza, A. Kahar, E. Albee, and A. Camus. The stage of the theatre gave several famous actors their start, including Roman Tkachuk, Igor Ledogorov, and Vladimir Recepter.
In recent years, the theatre staged plays including “Mandragora” by Machiavelli, “Inn Hostess” by C. Goldoni and “Mystery of a Chinese Woman,” a play based on the literary works by Alisher Navoi. All of these works were infused with new artistic interpretations to reveal by means of the dramatic arts different aspects of the human spirit.
Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan offers repertoire designed for audiences of different ages. Openness, confidence, sincerity, and truthfulness made the theatre productions a success. Among them are plays directed by Nabi Abdurakhmanov, “Constellation of Omar Khaiam” and “Permanent Dancer Sharora” by T. Zulfikarov, “The Canvas Measurer” by L. Tolstoy, “Fiddler on the Roof” by Shalom Aleykhum, “Devil Woman” by P. Merime, and “Princess Turandot” by C. Gozzi.
The troupe of the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan has participated in many international festivals in Russia, France, Egypt, and Israel. For four years, the theatre has organized and held the “Khumo” International festival of youth theatres, dance and music troupes, in which various theatre companies from Austria, France, Germany, Japan, Israel, Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and other countries take part.
In 1976, theatre director Mark Vail founded in Tashkent one of the first professional private theater-studios “Ilkhom.” The experimental staging of plays by playwrights of “the new wave”—A. Vampilov, S. Zlotnikov, S. Bashbekov, C. Guseinov, and L. Razumovskiy—boosted the popularity of the theatre as a truly independent creative collective. One of the boldest stage innovations was the poetic fantasy about Samarkand based on the comedy by C. Gozzi “Happy Beggars,” where actors brought together traditions of Italian “commedia dell’arte” with tricks of Uzbek maskarabozes. In spite of the fact that the play is performed for many seasons.
Cultural-creative center “Aladdin” has become the entrepreneurial theatre, the only one of its kind in Uzbekistan. Actors of almost all theatre troupes of the Uzbek capital perform in its theatrical productions. On its stage young directors, actors, dramatists, and ballet masters are given the opportunity to realize their brave creative projects. The theatre “Aladdin” can boast of many successful plays: “A Streetcar Named Desire” by T. Williams, “The Only Heir” by the classic of French comic drama art Jean Francois Regnard, and the premier performance of “The Dinner Game” (Le Diner Des Cons) by Francis Veber.
State Theatre of Musical Comedy a lover of operetta or the musical can watch classical operetta “Silva” by I. Kalman or “La belle Hélène” by J. Offenbach. Very popular among audiences are original comedies by Uzbek authors, “A Crumb” by A. Ergashev and “Aunt, I’m Going to Get Married” by A. Ikramov; musicals by the famous Georgian composer G. Kanchely, and “The Kidnapped Bride” and “Penelope” by Russian playwright A. Jurbin.
In Tashkent, there are more than ten theatres offering audiences performances of various genres, and for any age group. Among them are the Tashkent Young People’s Theatre and Republican Puppet Theatre.
