The Alisher Navoi State Academic Bolshoi Theatre in Tashkent stands as one of Uzbekistan’s most renowned cultural landmarks – a place where heritage intersects with contemporary stagecraft.
Designed by academician Alexey Shchusev and inaugurated in 1947, the theatre embodies an architectural synthesis of Eastern ornament and European classicism.
Its 1,440-seat auditorium, decorated with artisanal stucco, gilding, and Bukhara textiles, represents a living monument to craftsmanship and cultural identity.
A Modern Lighting Upgrade
As part of a recent stage lighting renovation, the theatre introduced Ayrton luminaires to elevate artistic expression, performance flexibility, and visual precision.
“It was essential for us to integrate new technologies without compromising the historical character of the space,” states Vladislav Zhurakovsky, Head of Lighting, Bolshoi Theatre Tashkent. “This called for high precision and non-standard solutions.”
The lighting upgrade centred on fixtures that provide nuanced performance control and flawless colour consistency.
24 Ayrton Bora S profiles and 26 Ayrton Mistral S wash fixtures were therefore supplied and installed by Sound Creations Electronics, official Ayrton distributor for Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) and the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan).
Bora S is a high-CRI profile that delivers refined beam shaping and exceptionally smooth dimming – ideal qualities for principal stage lighting, actor modelling, and enhancing scenic architecture.
Ayrton Mistral S is a compact, versatile fixture with a wide zoom range and expressive colour palette, suitable for both immersive atmospheric washes and dynamic stage shifts.
Together, these luminaires provide precise colour temperature management, real-time lighting adaptation, and seamless cue synchronization, ensuring that every visual layer supports the director’s creative narrative.
“The new Ayrton equipment has shown remarkable stability and accuracy in complex setups,” adds Zhurakovsky. “In addition to which, concealed mounting and custom cable routing was required to ensure integration into a historical theatre, all of which were met with successfully.”
Artistic Impact
With the new Ayrton lighting system in place, the theatre has already premiered several major productions, demonstrating the expressive potential of the renewed stage environment:
The Mari State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre presented Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” in a celebrated staging by Konstantin Ivanov, where nuanced light gradients and sculpted highlights allowed the choreography to unfold with heightened emotional clarity.
The Tashkent premiere of Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann” by renowned director Stefano Poda brought one of the most visually ambitious interpretations of the work to life.
Ayrton fixtures supported the production’s layered scenography, from ethereal atmospheres to dramatic shadow contrasts, in harmony with the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan.
These performances demonstrated the theatre’s renewed ability to translate artistic imagination into vivid stage reality, without technical compromise.
“After the renovation, the theatre has gained a new expressive capacity,” concluded Zhurakovsky. “We now work with much greater freedom, with the technology fully supporting artistic intent rather than limiting it.”
The lighting system concept and integration was completed by Sound Creations Electronics in collaboration with Vladislav Zhurakovsky, Art & Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan and the technical team of YASTREB Sound.
