GITIS students directed the show “King Lear” at the State Youth Theatre named after Baken Kydykeeva in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The initiator behind the production is Turusbek Zhumaliev, a 1983 GITIS graduate now in title of the People’s Artist of the Kyrgyzstan, who performed the lead role of Lear. He was dreaming to see Shakespeare on stage in his country. “This idea lived with me for four years. I decided that I would work on this performance only with Moscow graduates, preferably with a director and stage designer from GITIS, because it’s the center of theatre education,” Mr. Zhumaliev says.
The creative team consists of students graduating in 2024: Andrey Khisamiev (director), Elizaveta Ermakova (set designer), and Nanna Shekh (lighting designer).As Andrey Khisamiev shares, they had little time to rehearse, but understanding different culture, different theatre experience was even more challenging: “It was an interesting experience.” “In the end, we managed to find a common theatrical language with artists and move together towards the creation of a different holistic artistic world. I feel some kind of excitement, and I want the audience to get into this exciting space as well,” director added.
According to the set designer Elizaveta Ermakova, this play is about fatigue, humility and the inner strength, about the cruelty of people and fate, but at the same time it is about love. Creating the design Ermakova grasped Shakespeare’s idea of a nature as a reflection of the internal conflict of the main character and the external conflict prevailing in society characters exist. “We have a very interesting set design and costumes. When we saw the sketches and scenic model, everyone in the theatre really liked them. This perception captures the Renaissance era, the age of Shakespeare, but at the same time we see the relevance of the events taking place,” said Turusbek Zhumaliev.
The premiere was attended by Altynbek Maksutov, the Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic. The director Andrei Khisamiev thanked the minister for his attention to the production and expressed hope for the continuation of fruitful cooperation between GITIS and the theatre.
The production was supported by GITIS Board of Trustees, and the GITIS Endowment foundation.
