The Nurmuhammet Andalib State Musical Drama Theater of Dashoguz velayat is preparing the premiere of the play "Şyrak" for the opening of the new theatrical season. The production is named after the hero whose feat is reflected in the dramatic work of the People’s Writer of Turkmenistan Govshutgeldi Danatarov.

At the heart of the plot is the story of the fearless shepherd Shirak, who sacrificed himself to save his people from conquerors.

The legend tells how the Persian king Darius I, with a vast army, set out on a campaign to conquer new lands. Shirak stood against him. He presented himself to the Persians, tearing his own body and convincing them that he wanted to take revenge on his own people. Believing the "traitor," Darius led his troops into the heart of a waterless desert, where soldiers began to perish from thirst. When the deception was uncovered, Shirak fell by the sword, but his heroic feat saved his people from subjugation.

“This is a very dramatic work,” says the director of the play, Guvanch Baymedov. “Our task is to convey to the audience the idea of the boundless patriotism of the main character. And to express the full intensity of Shirak’s tragic fate, I decided to add choral accompaniment to the production, involving a choir from the velayat music college. A narrator will also be included in the performance.”

The play features many large-scale scenes, but the main protagonists on whom the entire narrative rests are the Persian king Darius, played by the Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Babadurdy Babaev, and the shepherd Shirak, portrayed by the young actor Begli Dowliev.

The premiere of the play "Şyrak" will take place in September and will be dedicated to the Independence Day of Turkmenistan.