New Opera and Ballet theater to be constructed by the end of 2012 in Astana

A new Opera and Ballet theater that is under construction on the left bank of the Ishim river in Astana now will be put into service by the end of 2012, Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed, the Minister of Culture of Kazakhstan said to Tengrinews.kz correspondent. “I expect that by the next Independence Day the theater will be finished. This may even happen by the mid of next year,” the Minister said. “The construction is at full drive. I am absolutely certain that this will be the best theater in Central Asia and one of the best theaters in the world. The theater it is not just the outside part of the building, it is the interior design as well. First of all it is stages, acoustics, rehearsal halls, it is a vast facility. That's why construction of the theater is one of the most complex task.” Kul-Mukhammed added that administration of the new theater would abandon the practice of handing out free invitation tickets. “There will be neither the invitation tickets nor prior distribution of tickets to high-ranked officials. I am absolutely certain that all the tickets will be in demand by theater-goers and this place will be a true cultural center of Astana,” he said.