Mangystau Regional Music and Drama Theater named after Nurmukhan Zhanturin

Discover the culture of the Great Steppe 

In the city of Aktau, there is the Nurmukhan Zhanturin Music and Drama Theater. It opened on March 21, 2003, with the active support of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The theatre proudly has the name of the great Kazakh actor, director of theatre and cinema. Nurmukhan Zhanturin made an invaluable contribution to the development of the culture of Kazakhstan and the USSR. The first performance that performed on this stage was the screenplay “Kyz Zhibek” written by Gabit Musrepov, directed by R. Mashurova.

At the opening of the theatre, the team of actors, directors and employees of the theatre were talented young graduates of universities, for whom it was the first work experience. Young actors who began their art path in this theatre are now recognized masters of their profession. Two months after the opening of the theatre, the team with the performance “Tomiris” by T. Alipbaeva, directed by Gulsina Mirgalieva, became a laureate in the category “Spectator Sympathy” at the Republican Festival in Almaty, which took place in honour of the 100th anniversary of Natalia Sats. In the future, the theatre repeatedly won prestigious prizes at various Republican festivals.

Within three years after the opening, the theatre had been named after the famous national artist Nurmukhan Zhanturin.  Now, the theatre’s artistic crew focus at five main theatrical areas. It is a drama, musical, children, and youth theatres, and the relatively young direction - the Russian theatre.

Today, 51 artists are working in the theatre, which is already directing its 11 theatre season. More than 40 plays of various directions are already in the portfolio of the theatre. The theatre presents the audience with a collection from the classics of world literature: such plays as Romeo Man Juliet by William Shakespeare, Tartuffe Moliere, etc. The theatre’s collection also includes the famous works of the Kazakh classics “Ozy Kurpesh Bayan Sulu” Gabit Musrepov, “Tomiris” Turar Alipbaev and “Adam bolyp oteyn” Abish Kekilbaev. Fans of Russian classics will not be indifferent to the performance of “Scandalous stories” based on the play of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.

The theatre crew, which consists of the most talented actors, directors and scriptwriters, constantly accepts new creative challenges and continues its creative triumphs. Each year, the troupe of the theatre travels the cities of Kazakhstan, where it plays its old and new programs.