The regional qualifying rounds of the national theater festival "Şadyýan şahandazlar" ("Cheerful Wits"), organized among amateur and community folk theaters, are successfully underway across Turkmenistan. The regional stage for the western province was recently hosted at the Balkanabat State Drama Theater named after Saparmurat Turkmenbashi. This artistic forum serves as a vital tool for discovering grassroots acting talent, preserving community theater traditions, and honoring the heritage of national folklore.

Focused primarily on the performance of satirical sketches and comedic theatrical compositions, the competition highlighted the time-honored behavioral traits of the Turkmen people. The participating troupes creatively brought to life ancestral characteristics such as hospitality, open-heartedness, eloquence, sharp wit, and philosophical humor. The artistic representations on stage perfectly fused traditional storytelling metrics with contemporary theatrical techniques, captivating the audience and the expert evaluation panel.

Following a comprehensive assessment of artistic direction, vocal clarity, and comedic timing, the Grand Prize of the competition was awarded to the Janahyr Township Folk Theater, representing the cultural department of the Gyzylarbat district. The remaining top honors were distributed among other leading regional collectives: the folk theater of the Turkmenbashi city cultural department secured 1st place, the Gyzylarbat district team claimed 2nd place, and the Bereket district folk theater finished in 3rd place. The winning groups have officially qualified for the national final championship.