YOUTH THEATRE OF UZBEKISTAN
Historical moments:
30 April 1928 – opening of Tashkent State Russian Theatre For Young Spectators
1929 – creating a second, Uzbek troup
13 May 1967 – separation into two individual Russian and Uzbek theatres of Young Spectators
28 May 1998 – status of the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan
The theatre was established in April 1928 and has celebrated its 85th anniversary in April 2013. The theatre has a rich artistic heritage based on national traditions and the Russian and European schools of dramatic art.
In various periods along with the fairy tales for kids the theatre also demonstrated challenging plays for high school senior students.
In 1998 the theatre’s team decided to rename the theatre and since that time has been called the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan. Thanks to Nabi Abdurakhmanov, Honoured Worker of Arts of the Republic of Uzbekistan, for the last more than 20 years the theatre has achieved stable artistic growth and success. Mr. Abdurakhmanov came as Artistic Director of the theatre in 1991 with a group of artists from his theatre-studio “DARD”, with a well-developed sense of aesthetics and a firm commitment to build a new theatre.
The theatre’s current repertoire consists of 40 plays for adult and children audiences.
For almost 87 years the theatre has attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators and hundreds of plays have been staged. Several generations of spectators have grown up with the theatre.
In 1991 a School-Studio of dramatic art was opened at the theatre. The school’s best students have the privilege to work with actors of the theatre and with other national and foreign theatres.
In 1997, thanks to the theatre’s efforts, Uzbekistan became a member of the International Association of the Theatres for Children and Youth (ASSITEJ). Mr. Abdurakhmanov is Chairman of ASSITEJ Uzbek Centre.
The theatre is widely involved in international activities. It organized the International Festival of Youth Theatres, Dance and Music “HUMO”, and hosted four festivals in Tashkent in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004 with the involvement of theatre, dance and music bands from Austria, France, Germany, Japan, Israel, Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and other countries.
In October 2010 and 2011 in partnership with Ministry of Cultural and Sport Affairs of Uzbekistan and Fund Forum the theatre organized a new International theatre festival “Theatre.UZ”. Artists from twenty countries presented their projects and familiarised themselves with theatre activity in Tashkent as well as with the creative works of regional theatre groups.
Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan realizes its responsibility and mission in upbringing the young generation not by means of edification homily and moral admonition but rather by dialectics of the open world in its full extent and diversity, by bringing the feeling of real joy of being.
Valeriy Podgorodinskiy (theatre critic, Moscow.):
«This is a genuinely serious, shrewd and talented team, for whom a theatre is a place of worship»
Toir Islamov (professor, theatre critics, Tashkent):
«Plays in this theatre are REAL ANTHEM FOR THE HUMAN SPIRIT!»
Lana Garon (theatre critic, St. Petersburg):
«...A modern theatre should be like this one, it takes us out of our routine life and moves us towards infinity!»
Nora Kutateladze (theatre critic, International Confederation of the Theatre Unions, Moscow):
«The existence of theatres such as the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan, is the highest achievement of Uzbekistan in the sphere of culture! The country should be proud of having such a great theatre!»