On dramaturgy, context, and directors in Central Asia with a focus on Kazakhstan

Olga Malysheva is a playwright, producer, journalist, and theater ambassador from Almaty, Kazakhstan. She has been researching theater in Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries since 2014. Her articles have been published in media outlets in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland.

Olga has written around 20 plays, staged in both state and independent theaters across Kazakhstan. Her plays have been translated into Kazakh, English, Romanian, and Polish and have been presented as readings and works-in-progress in Central Asia, as well as Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2019, she has been organizing Dramarathon, a short play festival in Almaty. She is also the curator of the inclusive theater laboratory Action Literally. Olga is the author of her own Telegram channel, Olya Leads to the Theater («Оля ведет в театр») – an independent personal media platform about theater in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. As a theater expert, she has participated in theater events in 12 countries worldwide.