Almaty, 4 November, . The Natalia Sats State Academic Russian Theatre for Children and Youth in Almaty will reopen on 6 November after the renovation of its historic building and the construction of a new wing, the city akimat said.
From 6 to 8 November the theatre will stage the musical fairy tale “Puss in Boots” and the comedy “Passions of Shakespeare”, and on 7 November, the theatre’s birthday, there will be the gala performance “SATS. Homecoming”. “Puss in Boots” runs at 11:00 on 6 November and at 12:00 on 7 and 8 November; “Passions of Shakespeare” at 19:00 on 6 November and at 18:00 on 7 and 8 November.
The historic building has kept its appearance, while inside the utilities, sound, lighting and stage equipment were modernised and mosaic compositions, marble surfaces and other interior elements were restored. Next to it a new wing was built with a chamber stage named after Boris Preobrazhensky, who headed the theatre from 1986 to 2005: a transformable “black box” stage (where the layout of stage and seating can be changed) for about 260 spectators. The complex also has a large and two small rehearsal halls, a ballet class and art and production workshops, and for young spectators a Baby Hall, a Book Hall reading room and the Sats ComUnity children’s studio theatre. Performances can now run simultaneously on the main and chamber stages.
Work began in March 2025; Almaty akim Yerbolat Dosayev named the project’s total cost as 23.9 billion tenge and the completion date as June 2026. The project was originally estimated at 21.7 billion tenge, and completion was given as July 2026. The theatre building was built in the 1980s and had not undergone major repairs since then.
What it means: One of Almaty’s main children’s theatres returns to its renovated building and gets a second stage, so it can give two performances at once; the project’s cost rose from 21.7 to 23.9 billion tenge.
Who benefits: Young audiences and the company, who gained a second stage, rehearsal halls and workshops; the city gained a renovated cultural venue. The 23.9 billion tenge figure was named by the akim, and by how much the budget overran the original estimate stage by stage is not disclosed in the reports.
Background: Public hearings on the renovation project and the chamber stage were held in May 2024. After the renovation, theatre director Oleg Gostev has said, the theatre should become a place for exhibitions, lectures, workshops and educational programmes.
