My Dad Is a Bird

About the Performance

During the winter school holidays, ARTiSHOK Theatre invites children and their families to a heartfelt and imaginative performance - «My Dad Is a Bird.» The play is based on the remarkable book by David Almond, translated by Olga Drobot - a story that inspires both children and adults with its warmth, courage, and quiet magic. The story follows Lizzie, a young girl, and her father, who one day decides that he is a bird-man. More than that - he is determined to take part in a flying competition, and not just anytime, but right on the eve of the New Year. Is it madness, a dream, or an act of pure faith? The audience is invited to find out together.

This performance is about children who sometimes turn out to be wiser than adults, about supporting even the wildest ideas, and about the power of believing - especially during the most magical time of the year.

What audiences say:

«The stage design feels wonderfully animated and playful, and the young actors are truly captivating…»

«I wasn’t taken to the theatre as a child.
Now I go with my son - and it heals my inner child…»

«We read the book first, and now we’re happily going to the theatre together. It’s such an important and meaningful experience…»

About the Director

Laura Makan - director and choreographer.
A graduate of the Almaty Choreographic School named after Seleznev and the acting-directing course at ARTiSHOK Theatre.

She works across physical and dramatic theatre and stages productions in both Russian and Kazakh. Her projects include:
«Waiting Room» / «Köbelek» (Samruk Dance Theatre),
«Out at Sea» (Transformation Space),
«Eyes of the City» - a documentary performance (Adamdart),
«Parasites» (MaQaN Productions),
«404» - post-dramatic theatre (Artköshe).

This season, Laura Makan is preparing productions for Andong Maskdance Festival 2025 (South Korea) and the 2nd Republican Festival of Young Theatre Directors in Almaty.

About the Author

David Almond is a British writer best known for his works for children and young adults, written in the genre of magical realism.
In 2010, he received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, often referred to as the «Nobel Prize of children’s literature.»

David Almond writes simply about the most complex things - about questions that deeply concern children aged 10-12, questions that touch the soul and often remain unanswered even for adults.