The third edition of the London Turkish Speakers Theatre Festival is set to start at the end of March and run for four days.
After a two year break due to the coronavirus pandemic, the festival is back and with an even bigger programme that encompasses not only plays, but also storytelling workshops, and fun theatrical and artistic activities for children and adults.
The events, which are aimed at Turkish speakers hailing from Turkey, North Cyprus, Bulgaria and beyond, will take place at various venues in North London, including the Chickenshed, Millfield Art Centre, and Salisbury House Arts Centre.
Among the plays being staged this year are Marks Döndü, an adaptation of Howard Zinn’s Marx Returns, and Aldırma Gönül about the life of renowned writer Sabahattin Ali played by superstar singer and actor Ferhat Göçer.
Zaman Savrulurken (As Time Flies), a play written and directed by former Enfield Mayor Saray Karakuş, centres on the culture clash and mental health challenges migrants and their children face trying to settle in Britain.
Expect to see famed Turkish actors Halil Ergün, Meltem Cumbul, Demet Evgar, Necmettin Çobanoğlu, and Nurgül Yeşilçay treading the boards alongside local Turkish speaking talent.
The London Turkish Speakers Theatre Festival is supported by Arts Council England. Many of the plays have English surtitles, making them accessible to non-Turkish speakers too. See below for select event details, with more details on the festival’s Facebook page.
Event Details
Title: London Turkish Speakers Theatre Festival
Date: Thursday 31 March 2022 to Sunday 03 April 2022
More info: visit facebook.com/londonturkishspeakerstheatrefestival
Marks Döndü – Marx Returns
By Howard Zinn. Performed by Suleyman Zencir
Returning to the world to defend himself in this one-man play written by the American historian Howard Zinn, Karl Marx is a thinker who “not only interprets but also changes the world”, but also comes across in his daily life, especially within the framework of his relations with his wife Jenny and youngest daughter Eleanor.
Confronting his own predictions and claims, Marx evaluates what happened to socialism after his death. But of course, he is dealing mainly with those who have overtaxed him in recent years, those who, while declaring the “eternal victory” of capitalism, are trying to condemn him to death once again. Defending himself brilliantly in this entertaining and thought-provoking game, Marx will finally return to where he came from …
Date & Time: Thursday 31 March 2022, 7.30pm to 9pm
Venue: Millfield Art Centre, Silver Street, London N18 1PJ
Tickets: £10 from here
Dunyanin Eski Zamanlarinda – In the Ancient Times of the World
Starring Fatih Dönmez, Produced by Pan Productions
This is a story from the old times, with rhymes from Pertev Nail Boratav that are beautiful examples of Turkish Folk Literature. These stories will be told through traditional storytelling and puppetry.
Date & Time: Sunday 03 April 2022, 2pm to 4pm
Venue: Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, London N14 4PE
Tickets: £10 from here
Aldırma Gönül – Don’t worry Gonul
If there is only one meaning in life in the world, it is to love. Just to love without even waiting for a response. Making another person happy is more difficult, but more humane than making yourself happy. Today, those who think like this are called gulls or even suckers. But no matter what they say, we must do what our hearts and minds think is right, regardless of what the people say” wrote Turkish poet Sabahattin Ali.
This heart-wrenching, dramatic life story about Sabahattin Ali is performed by Ferhat Göçer. It commemorates the writer as, “a man who fell in love with the sky, who did not give up on his path even though the sky was stolen from him, with his life story, works, songs, letters, with longing.”
Date & Time: Sunday 03 April 2022, 8pm to 10pm
Venue: Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, London N14 4PE, UK
Tickets: £23 to £25 from here
Zaman Savrulurken – As Time Flies
Written and directed by Saray Karakuş
The play has been specially written to help raise awareness about the mental health of migrants, aiming “to break the mental health stigma that leaves so many people suffering in secret.” The performance includes comedy, music, joyful moments, as well as sadness.
Date & Time: Friday 01 April 2022 – 6.30pm to 8pm
Venue: Millfield Art Centre, Silver Street, London N18 1PJ
Tickets: £20 from here
Sanat Terapisi (Art Therapy)
Date & Time: Saturday 02 April 2022, 12 midday to 1pm
Venue: Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, London N14 4PE
More info: click here for details
Qbicart Children Art Workshop
Date & Time: Sunday 03 April 2022, 12 midday to 1pm
Venue: Salisbury House Arts Centre, Bury Street W, London N9 9LA
More info: click here for details
