Locals to perform plays with ‘neighborhood theaters’

İZMİR

The locals of six neighborhoods in the western province of İzmir, who never had any acting experience in their lives, will stage a play after acting training they had within the scope of a “neighborhood theaters” project supported by the local metropolitan municipality.

“Neighborhood theaters” from the districts of Aliağa, Bornova, Çiğli, Konak, Gültepe and Selçuk, will perform six plays until the end of the weekend.

Semih Çelenk, an academic member from the Fine Arts Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University, is the founder of the “neighborhood theaters” project.

“Indeed, this is the third meeting of neighborhood theaters with the audience,” he said. The first was in İzmir’s Urla district, where he directed the local “Balıklıova Village Theatre” performances. The second was in 2009, when around 110 instructors gave acting trainings to more than 1,500 local children.

“In 2018, we started the ‘Neighborhood theaters’ project officially. From acting to musical trainings, from ballet to dance, we gave trainings.”

He said the youth of the neighborhoods, students, pensioners, laborers, and housewives participated in the project.

In the first phase, some 16 hours of trainings were given in six culture centers in the six neighborhoods.

Then, new actors and actresses who showed talent on stage were taken to the second phase of the project.
Instructors chose plays that were suitable with the efforts of the groups.

“Then the six theater groups worked on their plays for the last six months. Now until the weekend we will see them on stage performing their plays.”

The academic, who said he is proud of the project, said it will contribute greatly to the modern arts and society.

“Looking from the point of arts, I may say, we will have new acting talents or new theater spectators in the short term.”

In the long run, he thinks that “the suburbs’ populations’ meeting with the arts will have impacts on social peace.”