BI Group has completed the major reconstruction of the Natalia Satz State Academic Russian Theater for Children and Youth in Almaty. The historic building has been renovated, a new wing with a chamber stage has been built nearby, and the surrounding area has been fully transformed. Additionally, BI Group has allocated 25 million tenge for the theater's creative development, reports infohub.kz.
Company representatives presented the theater's team with a certificate for 25 million tenge. These funds are intended to help fill the renovated complex with new productions, creative projects, and initiatives for children and young people. After the audience returns, the theater will evolve into a modern art center that combines theatrical, educational, and cultural activities.
Oleg Gostev, director of the Satz Theater, expressed gratitude to the company: "We are grateful to BI Group not only for the large-scale renovation of our theater but also for supporting its creative future. Modern spaces should be filled with new performances, projects, experiments, and initiatives for children and youth. Therefore, the company's support is an investment in the theater's new life, its creativity, and new opportunities. After the reconstruction, the Satz Theater should become a place where people come not only for a performance but also to engage with art—through exhibitions, lectures, master classes, creative meetings, and educational programs."
The extensive reconstruction involved both the historic building and the creation of new infrastructure. The total area of the complex now exceeds 25,000 square meters, of which 10,560 square meters are in the new five-story wing built nearby.
Designers paid special attention to preserving the theater's heritage. Marble wall and floor coverings, mosaic compositions, and other artistic elements were restored. Some lost interior details were recreated based on archival materials and original blueprints.
BI Group project manager Askar Sagandykov noted: "For us, it was important not just to modernize the building but to preserve what defines its character and history. At the same time, we were creating entirely new theatrical infrastructure. As a result, the historic part and the new wing have become a single complex: one preserves the legacy of the Satz Theater, the other gives it new opportunities for development."
The centerpiece of the new wing is a transformable chamber stage, the Black Box, with a capacity of up to 220 spectators. Unlike a traditional theater hall, the space can change configuration depending on the production or event. The new wing also includes workshops and rooms for making and storing sets, eight dressing rooms, a rehearsal hall, classrooms, and spaces for a children's theater studio.
After the reconstruction, the complex will be able to function not only during performances. The new spaces are designed for exhibitions, lectures, master classes, creative meetings, and educational programs. The area around the theater has also been updated: a new family-friendly public space with greenery, rest areas, and a children's water play area has been created in front of it.
The completion of the reconstruction marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Satz Theater. BI Group has helped create modern infrastructure for it, and the additional support of 25 million tenge is directed not at construction but at what it was all for—the further development of art and new projects at the theater.