Istanbul's Public Theater Reveals New Productions

A black comedy about a Turkish dinner party which is interrupted by the unexpected presence of Adolf Hitler is just one in a series of new plays unveiled today at a major theater event in Istanbul.



Istanbul Municipal Theaters published its new repertoire for the 2014-2015 season on Wednesday; the organization celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.



Speaking to reporters Istanbul Municipal Theaters' general artistic director, Erhan Yazicioglu, said that there are five local plays in the October schedule alone.



One of the new productions will be 'Komsum Hitler' ('My Neighbor Hitler'), written by Ali Cuneyd Kilcioglu.



'Curuk Temel', the first play that the Municipal Theaters ever performed, will also feature in October's program, Yazicioglu said.



"We have two musicals – 'Kerbela' and 'Cibali Karakolu' and, directed by Arif Akkaya, '12 Angry Men' will raise the curtain in October," he added.



Prominent American writer Lillian Hellman's 'Lillian', playwright Tennessee Williams' 'Sirca Hayvan Kolesiyonu – The Glass Menagerie,' and Polish director Slawomir Mrozek's 'Terzi' will be produced and performed by Turkish thespians.



Claiming that the theater is in contact with Macedonian director Aleksandar Popovski and German director Roberto Cuilli, Yazicioglu said that they were trying to stage works by contemporary European directors for Turkish audiences during the upcoming season.



Yazicioglu, who only became general artistic director five weeks ago, told audiences that the theater would not be closed. He was referring to an ongoing controversial discussion on state-funded theater in Turkey.



"The Municipal Theaters is a costly organization. It is a fact that we will not be able to survive on our low-priced ticket sales," Yazicioglu said. The Municipal Theaters have traditionally offered tickets at much lower prices than many private theatres.



Yazicioglu said that as the Istanbul municipality sponsored the theater "we are not afraid of being closed."



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