On 7 November 2026, the opening ceremony of the 5th International Festival “Theatre Art of a Prosperous Era” was held in Ashgabat. The international creative forum brought together theatre professionals, directors and cultural representatives from Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Armenia.

Among the festival’s distinguished guests was Nikita Vysotsky, a Russian actor, director and screenwriter, and an Honoured Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation. He is the son of the renowned Russian artist Vladimir Vysotsky. During his visit, Nikita Vysotsky spoke to a correspondent of the “ZV” publication about international cultural cooperation, the training of young professionals and the stage production to be presented in Turkmenistan.

Nikita Vysotsky arrived in Ashgabat with a creative group consisting of fourth-year student directors from the Moscow State Institute of Culture (MGIK). Most members of the group are young people born in Turkmenistan.

As part of the festival programme, the young talents are presenting the play “Leningrad Under the Southern Sky” to audiences on the stage of the Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Main Academic Drama Theatre.

Sharing his thoughts on the performance, Nikita Vysotsky emphasised that taking part in such a large-scale international festival of a high professional standard is a significant responsibility for both students and teachers. He noted that the young performers were eagerly awaiting their appearance on stage.

The opportunity for young people from Turkmenistan to study theatre at leading Russian higher education institutions is an important part of a long-term project aimed at strengthening cultural ties between the two countries. The initiative seeks to enrich national theatre with new creative perspectives and bring young professionals into theatre companies. Particular importance is attached to training a new generation of actors and directors for the A.S. Pushkin State Russian Drama Theatre in Ashgabat.

Currently, around 40 young professionals from Turkmenistan are studying at several higher education institutions in Moscow. In addition to the Moscow State Institute of Culture, they are developing their professional skills at the M.S. Shchepkin Higher Theatre School and the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS). According to Nikita Vysotsky, this cooperation is already producing positive results and has considerable potential for further development.

Alongside his participation in the festival events, Nikita Vysotsky also visited the A.S. Pushkin Turkmen-Russian Joint Secondary School in Ashgabat. He familiarised himself with the school’s facilities and educational opportunities and spoke with the students.

During the meeting, the students asked their guest what he had dreamed of becoming when he was a child. Smiling, Nikita Vysotsky replied that he had wanted to become either an astronaut or an ice cream seller. However, as time went by, theatre and the arts became the main profession and creative pursuit of his life.

Such meetings and stage performances held as part of the international festival help theatre schools from different countries exchange experience, support young talents and strengthen cultural cooperation.