In September 2026, the Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Almaty opened its 93rd season. Every performance begins long before the curtain rises: dancers and performers hone their movements in rehearsal halls, sets take shape in workshops, and artists prepare for the stage in dressing rooms.
In this photo essay, we go behind the scenes to explore the daily life of the theater and the people who bring its productions to life.
Read also: Did world opera heroine Princess Turandot live in Kazakhstan?
Where the theater takes shape
The theater opened in Almaty in 1934. Today, a large team works behind every production, including performers, musicians, artists, costume designers, makeup artists and set builders.
Their daily work preserves the theater’s traditions and, season after season, creates the distinctive atmosphere that keeps audiences coming back.
Every contribution matters, from the welder who constructs the framework of a set to the seamstress who works on the smallest details of a costume.
Together, their efforts create the complete world of a performance, where the strength of a set’s framework and the precision of every costume are equally important.
A creative kind of chaos reigns in the workshops. Tools sit alongside pieces of future sets, while traces of paint and other signs of ongoing production can be seen everywhere.
There is a special charm to this environment: It is where the theater takes shape before it is revealed to the audience.
Getting ready for the stage
Closer to the stage are the dressing rooms, where specialists help performers prepare for each production.
Here, the anticipation of the performance is palpable, and the familiar ritual of getting ready in front of a mirror becomes part of the theater’s unique atmosphere.
Read also: Adult ballet gains popularity in Almaty for fitness and recovery.
The empty auditorium offers a chance to appreciate its details and take in the scale of a space that will soon be filled with performers, music and spectators.
The work behind the performance
Daily ballet rehearsals offer a glimpse of the work that usually remains hidden from the audience.
In the rehearsal hall, dancers repeat movements over and over, refining their technique.
It is here that the amount of daily work behind the effortless grace seen onstage becomes clear.
A look behind the scenes at the Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre reveals a side of theater life beyond the usual audience experience. Every performance is the result of the daily work of a large team.
Professional traditions are preserved here while new productions are prepared, carrying the theater’s history forward from one season to the next. Seeing this side of the theater offers a reason to return to the auditorium and look more closely at the many details that come together to create each performance.
