Shadow Theater finds favor in Bursa

BURSA - Anatolia News Agency

The festival will feature shadow plays as well as workshops and seminars. AA photo

The 14th International Bursa Karagöz Puppet and Shadow Theater Festival started Nov. 21 at the Tayyare Culture Center in the northwestern province of Bursa.

“Bursa is an important center in terms of puppet and shadow plays. Karagöz and Hacivat, which are an important brand in world culture and shadow theater, are from Bursa. We have registered this brand,” Bursa Mayor Recep Altepe said at the ceremony, adding that Bursa was the cradle of culture and civilizations.

International Puppetry Organization (UNIMA) Turkey National Center Chairman Mevlut Özhan said particularly Karagöz artists played the theater according to viewers’ age and cultural level.

“Bursa’s art lovers have a great stake in the development of shadow theater and the art of puppetry because art survives in a place where it is loved. In this sense, it is a big success that the festival is being organized for the 14th time,” he said.

Following the speeches, Bursa Karagöz Theater member Şinasi Çelikkol staged a performance.

The six-day festival will bring together different cultures. There will also be workshops and seminars for theater lovers. Organized in collaboration with the Bursa Mayor, Bursa Culture, Art and Tourism Foundation (BKSTV) and the UNIMA Turkey National Center, the festival will draw performers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with 13 Turkish groups