Theatre of Turkey

Last updated

Turkish theatre refers to theater activities in Turkey that emerged as a unique and complex blend of theater traditions in the country and Western influences. Traditional Turkish theater had improvisation. [1]

Contents

There are four major theatrical traditions that influenced each other: folk theater, popular theater, court theater, and Western theater.

Theatre traditions

Folk theater

The dramatic art has existed among the Turks for thousands of years. [2] There are different views on the origins. According to some scholars it developed from humanistic ritual practiced in the Ural-Altaic region, whereas others argue that the Turkish folk theater is related with the folklore of the early Anatolian civilizations like Phrygia or Hitite civilizations. No matter what the origins are, the folk theater has survived for centuries among the thousands of villages scattered throughout the countryside. It largely consists of folk dramas performed by the villagers themselves during the family ceremonies or during the agriculture cycle. They are accompanied by pantomime, dances, and puppet performances.

Karagoz figures Turchia, marionette karagoz, xx secolo, karagoz e hacivat (protagonista e antagonista) 02.jpg
Karagöz figures

Popular theater are performances presented to the public in places like public squares, coffee houses or private homes by the storytellers, puppeteers or live actors. The performers belong to different guilds and societies, called “kol” or “cemaat”. [2]

Storytellers are called “meddah”. They tell either popular romances, national legends, religious narration or pseudo-historical romances. They are best known for imitation, accent ability.

Shadow theater is a form of theater where cut-out figures silhouetted against a lighted screen. It is known as Karagöz and was the most widespread form of popular theater in Turkey. [2]

Ortaoyunu (Middle show) is The Turkish comedia dell'arte performed in urband areas pastime for the middle classes.

Court theater

In Turkey, until the Westernized period, court theater simply imitated popular theater, formed in a more refined and literary manner. The performers of ocourt theater did non perform only for the aristocracy at the palaces; they performed at public festivities organized on the occasions such as a court marriage, the birth of a new prince or his circumcision, the triumph in a war, accession of a new ruler.

Western theater tradition

The westernization in Turkey started with vast plan of reforms in 1839, which proved favorable for the development of the Western theatrical tradition in Turkey. The fusion of Western and Turkish dramatic forms were accomplished largely through the efforts of Armenian middlemen. Agop Vartovyan (Güllü Agop), who headed the Ottoman Theater Company in Istanbul from 1867 to 1882, was one of the most important figures. [2]

In 1870, Güllü Agop was granted a ten-year patent of monopoly for producing legitimate drama in the Turkish language at Istanbul. As a result, other producers were encouraged to start theaters in the provinces. Turkish statesmen like Ziya Pasha and Ahmed Vefik Pasha were among those pioneers who started theater companies in provinces. 15 years following the 1908 revolution was a period where many new theaters opened. Theater was regarded an ideal instrument for strengthening civilian and military morale as the country goes into one war after another including Italo-Turkish War, Balkan Wars, and World War I.

A stage of State Theatres in Ankara Kucuk Tiyatro, 2023 27.jpg
A stage of State Theatres in Ankara

Following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, the new government regarded the theater as an essential element for modernization of the country. A state theatre company was established in 1949. It is supported by both government funds and ticket sales. By 2023, the State Theaters performed on stages at 12 provinces. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman Empire</span> Turkish empire (1299–1922)

The Ottoman Empire, historically and colloquially known as the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm centred in Anatolia that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Europe between the early 16th and early 18th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Performing arts</span> Art forms in which the body is used to convey artistic expression

The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Performing arts include a range of disciplines which are performed in front of a live audience, including theatre, music, and dance.

The roots of traditional music in Turkey span across centuries to a time when the Seljuk Turks migrated to Anatolia and Persia in the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the early 1930s drive for Westernization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman music</span> Classical music of the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman music or Turkish classical music is the tradition of classical music originating in the Ottoman Empire. Developed in the palace, major Ottoman cities, and Sufi lodges, it traditionally features a solo singer with a small to medium-sized instrumental ensemble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish folk music</span> Tradition-based music originating in the Republic of Turkey

Turkish folk music is the traditional music of Turkish people living in Turkey influenced by the cultures of Anatolia and former territories in Europe and Asia. Its unique structure includes regional differences under one umbrella. It includes popular music from the Ottoman Empire era. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923, Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ordered a wide-scale classification and archiving of samples of Turkish folk music from around the country, which, from 1924 to 1953 collected more than 10,000 folk songs. Traditional folk music was combined with Western harmony and musical notation to create a more modern style of popular Turkish music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre of Japan</span>

Traditional Japanese theatre is among the oldest theatre traditions in the world. Traditional theatre includes Noh, a spiritual drama, and its comic accompaniment kyōgen; kabuki, a dance and music theatrical tradition; bunraku, puppetry; and yose, a spoken drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Güllü Agop</span>

Hagop Vartovyan, better known as Güllü Agop, , was an Ottoman Armenian theatre director as well as an occasional actor. He is widely credited with having laid the bases for Turkey's modern and nationally renowned performing arts institution that became the Istanbul City Theatres. In his qualities of organizer, sponsor and figure of support for writers and spectators, Güllü Agop is one of the 19th century pioneers of the Turkish Theatre art as a whole. He was accepted as the founder of the modern Turkish Theatre. As an Ottoman Armenian, Güllü Agop was regularly showing Armenian shows in his theatre; after 1868, he decided to provide regular Turkish shows

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agop Dilâçar</span> Turkish linguist of Armenian origin

Agop Dilâçar was a Turkish-Armenian linguist who specialized in Turkic languages and head western languages specialist of the Turkish Language Association. He was proficient in 12 languages, including Armenian, Turkish, English, French, Greek, Spanish, Azerbaijani, Latin, German, Russian and Bulgarian.

Persian theater goes back to antiquity. The first initiation of theater and phenomena of acting can be traced in ceremonial theaters to glorify national heroes and legends and to humiliate the enemy, as in the classics "Soug Sivash" and "Mogh Koshi" (Megakhouni). Ancient Persian theatre and dance was significantly researched by the Greek historian Herodotus of Halikarnassos, who lived during the Persian rule in Greece. In his work Book IX (Calliope), he describes the history of Asian empires and also the Persian wars until 478 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish State Opera and Ballet</span>

The State Opera and Ballet is the national directorate of opera and ballet companies of Turkey, with venues in Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Mersin, Antalya and Samsun. The directorate is bound to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As of January 2018, Murat Karahan is the General Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre of Vietnam</span>

Theatre of Vietnam comprises many traditional forms of drama which survive and retain their popularity to varying degrees. It formed during the Đinh dynasty, when the Đại Cồ Việt state was born. Water puppetry is a distinctively Vietnamese art form which arose in the 12th century in which a split-bamboo screen obscures puppeteers, who stand in water manipulating the puppets in front of the screen using long poles. Water puppetry is currently popular with tourists to Vietnam. With the success of the August Revolution in 1945, theatrical art entered a new creative period including a new type of theater based on the music of local folk tunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karagöz and Hacivat</span> Lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play

Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period and then spread to most nation states of the Ottoman Empire. It is most prominent in Turkey, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Adjara. In Greece, Karagöz is known by his local name Karagiozis; in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he is known by his local name Karađoz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigran Chukhajian</span> Ottoman-Armenian composer and conductor

Tigran Gevorki Chukhajian was an Ottoman Armenian composer and conductor, and the founder of the first opera institution in the Ottoman Empire.

The time that can be called contemporary in Turkish literature falls in the period between the middle of the 20th century and the first years of the new millennium. Throughout this period many changes in literary discourse have occurred. Together with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and foundation of the Turkish Republic brought a different way to Turkish literature together with the effect of Westernization on Turkish writers. The literature of the new republic emerged largely from the pre-independence National Literature movement, with its roots simultaneously in the Turkish folk tradition and in the Western notion of progress. One important change to Turkish literature was enacted in 1928, when Mustafa Kemal initiated the creation and dissemination of a modified version of the Latin alphabet to replace the Arabic-based Ottoman script. Over time, this change—together with changes in Turkey's system of education— would lead to more widespread literacy in the country. In 1950s, Turkish authors started to write in the tone of their western contemporaries bringing a new sense of literature to the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">İbrahim Şinasi</span> Turkish journalist, author and poet (1826–1871)

İbrahim Şinasi Efendi was a pioneering Ottoman intellectual, founder of Turkish dramaturgy, author, journalist, translator, playwright, linguist and newspaper editor. He was the innovator of several fields: he wrote one of the earliest examples of an Ottoman play, he encouraged the trend of translating poetry from French into Turkish, he simplified the script used for writing the Ottoman Turkish language, and he was one of the first of the Ottoman writers to write specifically for the broader public. Şinasi used his newspapers, Tercüman-ı Ahvâl and Tasvîr-i Efkâr, to promote the proliferation of European Enlightenment ideals during the Tanzimat period, and he made the education of the literate Ottoman public his personal vocation. Though many of Şinasi's projects were incomplete at the time of his death, "he was at the forefront of a number of fields and put his stamp on the development of each field so long as it contained unsolved problems."

The Armenian Theater dates to before Roman times and is one of the oldest Eurasian theatrical traditions. Alongside Greek and Roman theatres, it stands as one of the world's most ancient theatres. The ancient and beloved form of theatrical art is lyrical (profound) drama, which exerted its influence on the folklore of the Near East, Balkan, and Apennine peoples. Within this cultural context, Armenian folk and mystical drama, characterized by its dance elements, also took shape. Although the ancient theatre system hasn't been preserved, it has left its linguistic marks.

The culture of Northern Cyprus is the pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Northern Cyprus and Turkish Cypriots. It features significant elements influenced by or developed upon the culture of Turkey, but combines these elements with a unique Cypriot approach and local traditions, as well as several other influences, such as the British and contemporary western cultures.

Koharik Şirinian, also known as Koharik Shirinian(in English) or Koharik Schirinian(in German), was an Ottoman-Armenian actress and soprano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre of Indonesia</span>

Indonesian theatre is a type of art in the form of drama performances that are staged on a stage, with a distinct Indonesian nuance or background. In general, theatre is an art that emphasizes the performing arts that are displayed in front of a large crowd. In other words, theater is a form of visualisation of a drama that is staged on the stage and watched by the audience. Indonesian theatre includes the performing arts of traditional theater and modern theatre located in the territory of Indonesia. Some examples of Indonesian theater are Arja, Wayang, Wayang wong, Lenong, Ludruk, Janger, Randai and others. Theatre in Indonesia can also be referred to as regional or ethnic theatre, because it originates and develops from 1,300 ethnic cultures in Indonesia.

İsmail Hakkı Dümbüllü, Turkish comedy actor.

References

  1. "Geleneksel Türk Ti̇yatrosu".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Turkish Theatre". Turkish Studies Association Bulletin. 7 (2): 20–31. 1983. JSTOR   43385121.
  3. "State Theaters Activities".