A cast of professionals rehearsing after work, sold-out performances and a British comedy performed entirely in English. Script Theatre is creating a space for English-speaking audiences in Tashkent, despite the financial and practical challenges of running an independent production.
British humor has always had a particular appeal to me. The dry wit, carefully timed misunderstandings and increasingly absurd situations are part of what makes it so entertaining. But finding that kind of comedy performed live, entirely in English, in Tashkent was something I had not expected. On October 10, I attended Script Theatre's production of Out of Order, also known as 13-raqamli xona, at Human House. What followed was a performance that kept me laughing throughout the evening.
The script was well written, the humor consistently engaging and the comedic timing particularly memorable. Another aspect that stood out was that the actors were performing in English despite not being native English speakers. For English-speaking residents and visitors, it was the kind of cultural experience that could easily be overlooked when exploring Tashkent's entertainment scene. Yet behind the comedy is an independent amateur theatre project whose members have entirely different professional careers and dedicate their evenings and weekends to rehearsals.
Why a British comedy from 1990 still works today
According to Abdurashid Yakubov, Script Theatre’s director, one reason the company chose Out of Order was its pace. Although the play was first staged in 1990, he believes its structure is particularly suited to contemporary audiences accustomed to rapidly changing content on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
"I think one of the biggest changes in recent years is the way we consume information," Yakubov told Daryo.
Source: Script Theatre
The production follows a series of misunderstandings, with each attempt to conceal a mistake creating another problem. As more characters enter the story, the circumstances become increasingly difficult for those involved to control.
"Something is constantly happening: one problem creates another, one lie creates another lie, new characters keep entering, and the situation becomes more and more ridiculous," he explained.
For Yakubov, this combination of traditional British farce and fast-moving storytelling made the play particularly suitable for the theatre's audience. The humor also depends on recognizable human behavior. The characters' increasingly elaborate attempts to avoid admitting their mistakes may be exaggerated, but the underlying situations are familiar. As Yakubov explained, audiences sometimes laugh not only at the characters' circumstances but also because they recognize elements of their own behavior.
Lawyers by day, actors by night
Script Theatre is an independent amateur project, and its cast does not consist of full-time professional theatre actors. Instead, its members include lawyers working for international companies, finance professionals, university lecturers and people from other professional backgrounds. After completing their regular working days, they come together to rehearse, study their roles and prepare for performances. The production of Out of Order required approximately six months of preparation.
Source: Script Theatre
Actors must learn extensive dialogue, develop stage movement and practice the timing required to make comedy work in front of a live audience. The company also studies theatrical approaches associated with Stanislavski, Chekhov, Meyerhold and Vakhtangov, applying what its members learn during rehearsals. For a cast working in a language that is not their native one, the ability to maintain the pace and rhythm of a British farce is especially noteworthy from an audience perspective. Yakubov emphasized that successful comedy requires considerably more preparation than spectators may realize.
"Sometimes half a second changes a joke completely," he said.
An actor must know when to speak, pause, react or wait for the audience's laughter to subside. Those decisions can also change from one performance to another.
Script Theatre was not created because its founders believed Tashkent lacked theatrical traditions. Instead, Yakubov identified a more specific gap: the limited availability of regular independent theatre performances in English.
"Tashkent already has a very strong theatrical tradition, so Script was never created because we thought the city lacked theatre. What we felt was missing was a consistent independent platform for theatre performed in English," he explained.
The theatre aims to bring together English-speaking Uzbek residents, university students, young professionals, international specialists, foreign residents and visitors. Its performances are generally positioned for audiences aged 16 and above.
During the October 10 performance, I also noticed what appeared to be a local boy, perhaps around 10 years old or slightly older, attending with an older man who seemed to be his grandfather. The boy was laughing enthusiastically throughout parts of the comedy.
Yakubov said that some of the people attending Script's performances would not normally consider themselves regular theatre-goers. The company mainly promotes its productions through its website and social media. Nevertheless, every performance so far has sold out. Interestingly, Yakubov believes the project remains relatively unknown despite that demand.
Source: Script Theatre
Although Script Theatre has attracted audiences, financial sustainability remains one of its main challenges.
"Every Script performance so far has been sold out, but even with sold-out performances we still have not reached break-even," Yakubov said.
Productions require spending on costumes, decorations, props, rehearsal materials and furniture made or purchased specifically for the stage. Finding a suitable performance space is another challenge.
Yakubov credited Human House and Lola Safi for providing the theatre with a location where its members can rehearse and perform. For a project without its own building, access to such a space is an important part of its ability to continue operating. Yakubov explained that Script was not established primarily as a commercial venture.
Its members hope the project can eventually become financially sustainable, allowing them to stage more productions, but its current motivation is centered on artistic development and creating opportunities for English-language theatre.
Can theatre compete with TikTok and Netflix?
One of the questions facing theatre today is how it attracts audiences accustomed to streaming platforms, social media and short-form video. Yakubov does not believe younger generations have lost interest in live performances. Instead, he argues that young people are looking for experiences that are social, authentic and engaging. He said younger audience members frequently attend with friends, discuss scenes after performances, take photographs and share their experiences online. Digital platforms, in his view, can help people discover theatre rather than simply compete with it. The distinction between a recorded performance and live theatre is also central to Script's approach.
"Even if we perform the same play with the same actors and the same script, no two performances will ever be completely identical," Yakubov said.
The actors' delivery, the audience's reactions and the timing of individual moments can change from one evening to another. That unpredictability was also part of what made Out of Order enjoyable to watch. The laughter was not confined to isolated jokes; it became a shared experience among people watching the same increasingly complicated situations unfold on stage.
Beyond entertaining local audiences, Yakubov believes English-language theatre could contribute to the range of cultural activities available to international visitors. He noted that tourists do not necessarily limit their interests to historical attractions, restaurants and hotels. For some, attending a local cultural event can be part of the experience of visiting a city. Script Theatre aims to provide another option for international visitors and English-speaking residents looking for performances in Tashkent.
Source: Script Theatre
The project is still at an early stage. It will mark its first anniversary in February 2027, while its first public premiere took place in August 2026. The October 10 performance was its fourth.
Despite its relatively short history, the company has already begun preparing another production. Rehearsals for Script Theatre's next play began in September, with the company hoping to stage its premiere around the New Year. Yakubov preferred not to disclose the title. Beyond that production, the theatre has a longer-term ambition: staging an Uzbek play entirely in English.
"So far we have taken international theatre and performed it for audiences here. The next step would be the opposite: take something from Uzbek dramatic culture and make it accessible to an international English-speaking audience," he explained.
For Script, such a production would represent an opportunity to introduce Uzbek dramatic works to audiences who may not otherwise be able to experience them in their original language.
For me, Out of Order was a reminder that discovering something new in Tashkent does not always require visiting a new restaurant or a familiar tourist destination. Sometimes it means spending an evening watching a British comedy, performed in English by people who spend their days working in entirely different professions, and realizing that a small independent theatre has managed to make an entire room laugh together.
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the editorial board