Culture & art season opens in Istanbul with a ceremony

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Cultural and Social Affairs Department Chair Abdurrahman Şen announces the 2013-2014 art season in the city. AA photo

The 2013-2014 art season opened Sept. 30 at a ceremony held by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Cultural and Social Affairs Department at the Sait Halim Paşa Mansion. 

The chair of the department, Abdurrahman Şen, said the primary goal of the municipality was to provide support to culture and art producers in every field of culture and arts. 

“The municipality gives infrastructure support to many art events. Libraries increased their time of service last year. This year we want to revive libraries by bringing together writers and readers. We will transfer the Ottoman archive in our libraries to digital environment in February,” he said.

Şen also said the City Theaters would celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2014. “We have been preparing important projects for 2014. For the first time, the library of the City Theaters will be reorganized. We will also open three new culture centers in the Alemdağ, Bağcılar and Sultangazi neighborhoods.” 

He said they had had difficulty in finding theater plays, while adding that they would organize a script-writing contest in the near future. 

“In order to highlight peace in society, the Istanbul City Theaters will perform a play by Necip Fazıl Kısakürek and Nazım Hikmet in different stages in the 2013-2014 season. These two works will embrace Istanbul. In this way, these two important Turkish poets, who are used as the symbols of contrasts, will bring people together via culture and arts,” he said.

Following the opening speech, poetry centered on the theme of Istanbul was recited to guests. In the presentation, poems on Istanbul written by Kısakürek and Nazım were performed by City Theaters artists Nazan Yetkin and Çağatay Palabıyık. 

One of the guests at the opening event, Turkish folk music singer Bedia Akartürk, said she would give concerts every month in the new season starting this month. 

Among the other artists were theater actor Süheyl Uygur and veteran arabesque music singer Orhan Gencebay. 

Plays in the new season

In the 2013-2014 season, the City Theaters will open the curtain today and perform 27 plays in October. The plays “Para,” written by Kısakürek, and Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata” were on the stage during private viewings toward the end of 2012-2013 season. The plays will go before audiences in the new season. 

“Yolcu,” written by Nazım and directed by Fikret Urağ, is another play that will be featured during the new season.

Some of the other plays in October will be “Gözlerimi Kaparım Vazifemi Yaparım” (I Just Close My Eyes and Carry Out My Duty), “The Cherry Orchard,” “Kösem Sultan,” “Yaşar Ne Yaşar ne Yaşamaz,” (Yaşar Doesn’t Live or Not Live) “Ali Baba ve Kırk Haramiler” (Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves).