Radio Azatlyk reports that the majority of spectators who attend Ashgabat theatres including the National Music and Drama theatre named after Magtymguly, the Student theatre named after Mollanepes as well as the Drama Theatre named after the former president of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Turkmenbashi are made up of students from higher and secondary vocational institutions of Turkmenistan.
Every student is obliged to visit the theatre once or twice a month. According to a student of one of the higher educational establishments in Ashgabat, evening stage productions are usually attended by students whereas both university students and schoolchildren attend afternoon performances.
“Almost all students of Universities, lyceums and schools are included in the list and are obliged to attend theatres. Sometimes even conscripts are included in the list. However, one can seldom encounter spectators who visit theatres voluntarily”, Batyr says.
“We would eagerly pay visits to theatres but we are not allowed to choose the stage productions we like.We are just informed that each group is obliged to visit the theatre on a given date and buy tickets in advance.
We even do not know what performance we are going to attend.For instance, I have seen the stage production “Gerogly”, which costs 3 manats, about 5 to 6 times”, Batyr mentions.
Aina, a 70 y.o. female resident of Ashgabat, note that the interest towards the theatrical art faded in the first years since Turkmenistan had obtained independence when pursuant to the decree by the former President Saparmurat Niyazov the Opera and Ballet Theatre, beloved by residents, was abolished.
After the Opera and Ballet Theatre was closed, the interest to the theatrical art gradually faded.The main reason is the content of stage productions.The performances, which appeal to the audience, gradually disappeared from the repertoire to be replaced with productions extolling the parents of the country’s leader or telling about his childhood”, Aina highlights.