On the role of Tatar women in the development of theatrical art of Turkestan in late 19th – early 20th centuries

The article analyses the emergence of theater as one of the types of European art in Turkestan in late 19th – early 20th centuries. The author reveals the significant role of the Tatar theater troupes “Sayar” and “Nur”, Tatar actresses S. Gizzatullina-Volzhskaya, F.I. Kudasheva, and F. Ilskaya in this process. The influence of Tatar women playwrights on Uzbek creative youth is shown. This was manifested in two facts: the publication of the first play by an Uzbek writer, which became the forerunner for a women’s literary school in Turkestan, and the appearance of actresses among Uzbek women who starred in the first Soviet films. The emergence of an amateur troupe from among the local population, growth in the number of clubs and theater groups, which consisted mainly of women, indicated an increase in the social activity of Turkestan women. Considerable attention is paid to the analysis of interactions between Tatar and local national progressives in the formation of theatrical art in Turkestan.