Tucked away in a basement in Bishkek the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Theater 705 has become known for its experimental plays which explore contemporary Kyrgyz identity.

Located in the centre of Bishkek is Theater 705, a hidden gem which takes its name from its address at 705 Masterskaya Street. Upon arrival, as a visitor you meet a locked gate that stops you from going into the interior courtyard of the apartment building block. To obtain the code, you must call the theatre. Once inside, you descend into a basement where a funky neon light bearing the gallery’s name lights your path. It is as if your entrance is itself a kind of performance.

The theatre was founded by an artist’s collective in 2005, the brainchild of three collaborators Darina Kaparova, Malika Umarova and Marat Rayimkulov, who have since parted ways. Today, the space can accommodate up to thirty-five people and as well as its regular performances there is a public library of books about art, photography, film, theatre and philosophy. Although the space is interdisciplinary hosting many different events from children’s workshops for children, a film festival, to art exhibitions, it is primarily known for its performances. Professional writers, directors, and other theater workers often come to Theater 705 to produce their own work, away from the bureaucracy and red tape of the local state-run theaters.

Producers and playwrights at Theater 705 enjoy an intellectual freedom which you can not find in state theatres across Kyrgyzstan many of which are often subject to some degree of censorship. While classical productions are also staged at Theater 705, there is a strong commitment to innovative and creative performances. The many challenges of contemporary life in present day Kyrgyzstan - and in Central Asia more broadly – prove to be a rich source of material. Most productions are bilingual held in both Russian and Kyrgyz.

When I visited the theatre, I saw a performance of ‘Ay–Bulut/Nevesomost’, directed by Begimay Rayimbekova and Shamil Diykanbaev. ‘Ay–Bulut’ is a Kyrgyz word which, when translated into English, means moon-cloud. ‘Nevesomost’ is a Russian word meaning weightlessness. The event was described on Theater 705’s Instagram page as a “physical documentary performance” that addresses the taboo of the female body in Kyrgyz society. ‘Ay–Bulut/Nevesomost’ follows two Kyrgyz women as they struggle with their sense of self, both physically and psychologically. The performance itself is almost entirely silent, with a voice speaking only occasionally throughout, telling stories of hardship, alienation, and self-discovery in a society that often expects women to care for others, but not themselves. The voice speaks as though it is her own story she is telling, taking on the air of an autobiography.

Elements of a verbatim theatre format can be seen in several performances at Theater 705, including ‘Sandyk’, a Kyrgyz word which means ‘chest’ (as in a trunk for storage), which was shown throughout February this year. ‘Sandyk’, directed by Shamil Diykanbaev, was a participatory performance, transforming viewers into actors. A chest with letters written by people who live in the most diverse regions across Kyrgyzstan, including Osh, Jalal-Abad, Batken, Chui, Issyk-Kul, Naryn, Talas and Bishkek, was placed on the stage. The audience would come and select letters that were then read aloud, with each performance having a different outcome. The broad geographical locations created a portrait of Kyrgyzstan which formed by the audience. ‘Sandyk’ was also critical of individual actions which can create “both a utopia and dystopia of an ideal society where every person can do what they want”.

The previous month, in January of this year they staged ‘Mankurt’, directed by Elvira Ibragimova. In folk tales about Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the word, ‘Mankurt’, refers to a person who has forgotten their “history, identity, and humanity,” as described on Theater 705’s Instagram page. This term has also subsequently become synonymous with the act of assimilation. In the context of the play, it also refers to Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov’s seminal novel ‘The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years’. In this book, Aitmatov describes a man who is kidnapped and enslaved - brainwashed by his captors, his memory is erased, leading him to forget his homeland and his family. When his mother, Naiman-Ana, finds him after a long search, his captor persuades him that she is planning to cut his head off. According to the theater’s Instagram page, “The play focuses on a mother and her unconditional love, care and kindness. Despite the fact that the play is performed in Kyrgyz, its main theme goes beyond any affiliation of language: it explores the language of communication in a broader sense, paying attention to the importance of communication between people.”

In addition to the theme of everyday life in contemporary Kyrgyzstan, the theater also welcomes purely experimental productions. At the end of the performance of ‘Ay–Bulut/Nevesomost’, that I attended, one of the directors announced his plan to create a new, experimental format by putting on a performance with no bodies in his next production at the space.