Some of the companies at the festival were the Ankara State Theatre Company, Theatre Pera, Istanbul City Theatre Company, Istanbul State Theatre Company, Italian Puppet Theatre, Santrigo Theatre Company of South Cyprus, Mehmet Ertug’s Shadow Theatre Company, Lefkosa Turkish Theatre Company and “Danton’s Death” from world famous Director Roberto Julio.
Mü?fik Kenter and Rutkay Aziz were two of the world famous actors who performed at the festival. 27 plays were performed at 6 different locations during the 22-day festival.
The stages that hosted the theatre companies and their audiences were Near East University Atatürk Cultural Centre (YDU - AKM) and Büyük Han in Lefkosa; Girne American University New International Congress Hall, Girne Castle in Girne; Salamis Amphitheatre and Otello Fortress in Magosa. As the festival was part of the Cultural and Artistic activities funded by the municipalities, theatre lovers were pleasantly surprised to find that the ticket prices were only 5YTL, the same price as last year.
Both foreigners and Turkish Cypriots were very interested in the Italian Puppet Theatre. The plays were performed in historical locations, mindful of the fact that the ambiance in which a dramatic production is set can be as important as the play itself.
IMPRESSIONS
Ankara State Theatre Company performed “Ferhad and Sirin” an adaptation of a folk tale by Nazim Hikmet, featuring the love between Ferhad and Sirin through an inner conscience settlement and the relationship between masking oneself and the society.
Wedding in Dobrinja by Theatre Pera was another interesting play. The play was the musical and dancing expression of hope, passion, resistance and existence despite the global disorder and wars.
LOVE POTION
The Italian Puppet Theatre was interesting for audiences of all ages and nationalities. Everyone at the performances watched the play with a big smile even if they did not understand the words. The play was “Rosega Ramarri the Witch” the love of Rosega the witch. Rosega prepares a potion to give to the man she falls in love with, but someone else drinks the potion and falls in love with her. The feelings of love become ridiculous and dwarfish with Rosega’s potion, and the play makes you think through laughter.
Kenter Theatre Company performed “One day Nasreddin Hoca…” The play was written and directed by Sonmez Atasoy. The actors tried to find an answer to the question: “What would happen if Nasreddin Hoca was to live today, in the 21st Century?” The conscience of society Nasreddin Hoca had to face contemporary issues such as the clash of civilizations, the invasion of Iraq, the social identity erosion and abolition. In the play, which adapted Nasreddin Hoca jokes to our times, the new world order was one of the issues that was criticized. Two master performers at Kenter Theatre Company Mü?fik Kenter and Kadriye Kenter presented the play, to considerable applause.
RICH GIRL, POOR BOY
Santrigo Theatre Company performed “Poverty and Sincerity.” The plot is universal. A girl from a rich family falls for a poor boy. The rich father tries to stop the lovers; the naïve sincere lovers struggle to make their love work. This very common plot combined with music and dance gives the audience pleasure while watching and creates a colourful world of love. Directed by Stelios Kafkaridis and performed by famous Greek Cypriot actors and actresses it was well received by the audience.
Ankara Art Theatre performed another play by Nazim Hikmet “Human scenes from my country.” We were all knocked out by the play. Nazim Hikmet started writing this play "in 1939, in prison,” one of the important works in Turkish Literature. The play is about the hunger, unemployment, death and war in Anatolia in the spring of 1941. With different portraits Nazim Hikmet crea |
