The premiere of the play "Face to Face," based on the homonymous novella by the Kyrgyz classic Chingiz Aitmatov, was successfully held at the National Drama Theater named after Alp Arslan. The action of the play takes place during the war years in a small Kyrgyz village.

“We slightly changed the ending of the novella,” commented the director of the play, Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Handurdy Berdiyev. “In our version, the main heroine blames the war for all misfortunes. There is logic in her words. In peaceful times, the handsome, hardworking Ismail would have been a respected member of the village. The war turned his life upside down, and now he is a despised criminal.”

The drama’s ending was inspired by this year’s motto—the International Year of Peace and Trust. With the play "Face to Face," we once again remind the audience how precious peace on Earth is.

The set designer Mekan Annamyradov outdid himself while working on the scenography. A ravine overgrown with reeds in the foreground brings us close to Kyrgyz nature. A long wooden bridge spanning the entire stage, dimly lit by street lamps, is the road to the border outpost. The presentation of Seide's room in her house and the village council office—where Seide was summoned by a policeman for interrogation—is interestingly done by just one wall with an entrance door, outlining the entire setting.

Falling snow accompanied almost all the play’s actions. The gloomy, cold weather intensified the drama's tension. Everything worked toward the result, first and foremost the casting: the role of the main heroine Seide is performed by Leyla Rustemova, Ismail by Sohbet Tachmammedov, Ismail’s mother by Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Syulgun Tashlieva, the neighbor by Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Gerek Hojamammedova, and Murzakul by Dowran Hojageldiyev.

It can be confidently stated that no viewer left the theater indifferent after watching the premiere of "Face to Face." Everyone was deeply moved by the tragic story that took place in a small Kyrgyz village.