IKSV has announced their program for the long awaited 21st Istanbul Theatre Festival. The festival will run from Monday 13 through Sunday 26 November, and will feature a total of nineteen plays, six of which are international productions. Tickets will be on sale to the general public starting Sunday 7 October.
IKSV has also announced two pieces delightful news:
In an effort to make the festival accessible to youth budgets, the festival will price available student tickets at 10 TL. Regular rates start at 50 TL, and can go as high up as 300 TL for anticipated international plays. So, if you are a student, make a mad dash and grab one of these tickets before they sell out!
Secondly, from this year onward, the festival will run annually, as opposed to biannually. I wholeheartedly welcome this news, as the two-year wait period for the festival had indeed been just too long!
The plays will take stage in an array of locations and venues throughout Istanbul. Venues on the European side include bomontiada Alt in Bomonti, the French Cultural Center in the heart of Taksim, the renowned Kenter Tiyatrosi in Şişli, Salon IKSV in Şişhane, Zorlu Center in Gayrettepe, and even a location each in the districts of Fatih, Bakırköy, and Büyükçekmece areas (Çevre Tiyatrosu, Yunus Emre Kültür Merkezi, and the TÜYAP Book Fair, respectively.)
Venues on the Asian side include the conveniently located Caddebostan Kültür Merkezi in Caddebostan, the Moda Sahnesi in Kadıköy, and DasDas in Ataşehir.
Among the international plays that draw my attention is La Fresque, taking place at Zorlu PSM Main Theatre on Saturday 18 November. Based on a Chinese tale and fusing classical ballet, contemporary dance and breath-taking music, this Parisian and Taiwanese production will take you through an “epic dizzying and meditative experiment in motion… in a fiery, bold, modern, and probing dance performance.” Wow! I can hardly wait!
The Greek play Encore to take stage on Moda Sahnesi on Tuesday 14 November sounds intriguing, in which “razor blades become natural extensions of the actors… in a performance [treading] on the border of eroticism.”
Richard III – German in both production and language – will take stage at Zorlu on Friday 17 November and will feature “high voltage live music,” “debauched royals if Tirj dressed in ostentatious attire in front of a decaying plastered decor” with a drama that to me promises satire, mockery, tension and great artistry. Tickets start from 60 TL and go up to 300 TL. So, if you are a student, make sure to grab yourself a 10 TL ticket at first chance!
As always, the festival will also host local plays. Turkish director Serdar Bilis will be sharing his contemporary interpretation of Chekhov’s The Seagull at Zorlu PSM Studio. Another modern interpretation of a classic will take place at Moda Sahnesi with Kemal Aydoğan’s take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
The title that attracts the most attention is Gocmenleeeer, ie “Migraaaants”. Originally written by Mateir Visniec, the Turkish version will be performed under the direction of the renowned (make that “legendary”) Turkish drama actor Genco Erkal, who will also be taking part in the play. Gocmenleeeer will take stage at Kenter Tiyatrosu, established and run by the renowned Turkish drama actress Yıldız Kenter who also holds the title of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to Turkey.
When in Rome seems too attractive a title. It will be a play of “installations” narrating a story of “personal space, hypocrisy, and suppressed sexuality” in “unfamiliar stage language.” Worth checking out just for the title itself, the unique artistry should be making the play well worth a visit.
A dozen other plays will also feature during the two weeks. This has been my sneak preview. I leave the rest to you to check out and discover. Mark your calendars already and do not miss out! A full program and additional details can be found via their official site.
All images courtesy of IKSV.
