Theater play canceled for official censorship

UMUT ERDEM

The Adana State Theater’s play “India Bank,” which was on a tour in the southeastern province of Batman, was removed from the stage after two of its scenes were deemed “obscene.”

The two-act absurdist comedy premiered in February last year in the southern province of Adana. It depicts capitalism as seeking to capture the lives and moral values of individuals and impoverish them. The play toured Batman on Jan. 23-24 and Mardin on Jan. 26-27.

It was reported that the play was not staged during the Batman tour because of an intervention by Batman provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate officials.
Investigating the reason for the cancelation of the play, the State Theaters Artists Association (DETİS) made a report.

“After the first performance in Batman, the play was cancelled ostensibly because of a lack of audience. But we later learnt that this was not the reason. The Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate officials, who were among the audience on the first day, were disturbed by two scenes and asked for the removal of these scenes,” the report said.

“Our friends in the play said they lacked the authority to remove the scenes, which should be done by the theater director, regional director or the general director. Therefore the officials, who had the tickets for distribution, returned all the tickets and prevented its performance on the second day. A few people, who came to the theater to see the play, were refused by the directorate official who said the play was canceled,” the report continued.