Renowned Turkish actor Genco Erkal shares his love of the works of Turkey’s celebrated poet and playwright Nâzım Hikmet in his production Yaşamaya Dair: Bursa Cezaevi’nden Mektuplar (‘On Living: Letters from Bursa Prison’). Erkal’s two-person show, set to music by Fazıl Say and Zülfü Livaneli, will visit London’s Union Chapel for one night only in January […]
For the second year running, a Greek play was staged at the ancient amphitheatre in Salamis, northern Cyprus. A 4,000 capacity audience watched the stunning performance of Antigone on Wednesday 28 Sept. Written by Sophocles around 441BC, this famous Greek tragedy was jointly produced by the National Theatre of Greece, the State Theatre of Northern Greece, […]
“Totus mundus agit histrionem” (all the world’s a stage) If you’re after a theatre experience that takes you back to early 17th century Shakespearean London, then take a trip to the South Bank where one of the world’s most famous theatres is located. Although the original Globe has long gone, this modern version, built in […]
Emine is more interested in a dead cat than her kids…Al is lost in Grindr, whilst Ayşe – a fierce and intelligent young woman – is drowning in the mire of social media. They are thrown into turmoil when Ayşe commits a horrific assault. Screens tells the story of a modern British Turkish Cypriot family […]
It’s a hot balmy evening and we’re inside the airless Hackney Showroom to watch a preview performance of The Telemachy, an inventive new solo show inspired by Homer’s ancient Greek epic The Odyssey. This timeless tale about youth being side-lined by society is made more topical given the recent Brexit vote, but our rock ‘n’ […]
A young North London actor of Turkish Cypriot heritage stars in The Telemachy, an intimate new theatre production inspired by The Odyssey. Arman Mantella plays a mysterious travelling poet who swaggers from London to Edinburgh with a case full of ancient stories. This enigmatic host delves into the famed mythologies of Odysseus, the original rock-and-roll […]
After a successful tour in Japan, internationally renowned Turkish Cypriot dancer Özgen is back in Britain to perform his hit show Aşk (Love) in Manchester. Working with Salford-based Taste of Cairo entertainment agency, and local dancers and musicians, Özgen will stage the show at Z‑arts Studio in Hulme at the end of June. Drawing on […]
Next month, veteran actor and writer Osman Balıkçıoğlu will debut his new comedy in North London. Two performances of Atma Recep da Din Gardaşıyık will be staged at St. Monica’s Hall in Palmers Green on Sunday 15 May. The play follows the life of a family from Lefkoşa’s Samanbahça district that moves to London with […]
A London Turkish drama group will be putting on its third production at Northumberland Park Community School in Tottenham on Saturday 16 April. Written and directed by Fatoş Törer, Ömer-Sinsi Servis is a light-hearted look at accessing emergency health care here in London from the perspective of the British Turkish community. The play is set […]
Last month, the award-winning Rosemary Branch Theatre in Islington staged a reading of a new play by Janie Booth. The notes for The Gods are Playing Ninepins had suggested it was a serious drama, but it’s very much a comedy which had me in stitches from the opening lines. Set in East London, an elderly […]
