Azerbaijani actors perform at theater festival in Kazakhstan

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan State Drama Theater has presented a mono-play "Judas", at the Second International Theater Festival of the Caspian countries in Kazakhstan.

The play of Judas is dedicated to human treason. Judas is not able to escape the suffering of conscience because he betrayed his master Jesus Christ. The scene shows the inner world of Judas, an attempt to justify himself and the human motives that led him to take such a step.

The play caused great interest of spectators and festival participants.

The production director is Anar Babala, art director- the Honored Worker of Culture Ilham Elkhanoglu, lighting artist- Rafael Hasanov, assistant stage director Kenul Karimova.

The Second International Theater Festival of the Caspian countries was held in Aktau on September 12-16.

Along with Azerbaijan, theaters from Iran, Turkmenistan, Bashkiria, Tatarstan and Kazakhstan also participated in the international theater festival. The event was timed to the 90th anniversary of Kazakhstan's famous theater and cinema actor Nurmukhan Zhanturin.

Azerbaijan Drama Theater was first established on December 20, 1920, as the "State Free Satirical Agitational Theater", however on April 29, 1921, it was renamed as the "Baku Workers' Theater".

In 1937 the name was changed to "Azerbaijan State Red Banner Theater of Russian Drama". Since 1938, it is named as the "Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theater". In 1956, the theater was additionally named after the Azerbaijani poet Samad Vurgun.

Many works of Russian literary figures such as Tolstoy, Pushkin, Chekov, Gogol, Lermontov, Mayakovsky, Lavrenyov, as well as Azerbaijani literary figures such as Jafar Jabbarli, Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Ali bey Huseynzade, Najaf bey Vazirov, Huseyn Javid, works of world classics such as Shakespeare, Schiller, Molière, Dumas, Hugo, Balzac, are staged in the theater in Russian.

The theater makes performances not just for adults, but for children too.