Young Abai

«The heights Abai reached began on the shoulders of Kunanbai». In this moving stage production, we follow the early years of the boy who would grow into the great Kazakh thinker and poet - Abai. A young student, full of longing to return home from his studies, is drawn by an unnamed, burning sense of yearning. Along the winding paths of life, he begins to understand that every crossroad demands a decision, a stance - a realisation that marks the first steps into adulthood. Young Abai finds himself at odds with his father Kunanbai’s strict decrees. Words of criticism rain down from all directions; the actions of those he once trusted shake his inner world. Yet, it is precisely this pressure - the unyielding will of Kunanbai and the expectations placed upon him by his people - that mould the foundation of the future philosopher, the Häkım Abai. His profound writings, filled with timeless wisdom and moral guidance, would later inspire generations. The light of his thought and his thirst for knowledge were ignited in these formative years - and this play captures that spark. Staged at the Saken Theatre in honour of the 175th anniversary of Abai’s birth, Young Abai offers a lyrical journey rich in artistic vision and reflective beauty. The environment that shaped the great mind of Abai is depicted vividly - from his wise grandmother Zere and gentle mother Ulzhan, to the voices of the people: Suindik, Bozhei, Baysal. Through them, Abai learns to distinguish truth from falsehood, virtue from vice - lessons that would shape him into the Sage of the Great Steppe. The tender and poetic scenes of Abai’s encounter with Togzhan - his first love, awakened amid the beauty of nature - shine as some of the production’s most captivating moments. Young actors A. Jumamuratov and A. Amantai bring Abai to life with sensitivity and soul, while S. Tashimbekova, N. Tezekbayeva, and A. Asylbekova’s portrayal of Togzhan - as graceful as a young deer, as radiant as a spring snowdrop - captures hearts with purity and elegance. This is a story of growth, love, and the making of a genius - one that echoes with the depth of Kazakh culture and the spirit of a people.