Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, the 17th International Istanbul Theatre Festival, which took place from 10 May to 10 June 2010, presented a choice of Turkish theatre performances as well as internationally acclaimed theatre companies and dance groups.
The programme included nine theatre and dance groups from abroad, as well as 30 plays, dances and performances from Turkey, performed for the first time. In addition to 90 shows taking place in 18 different venues, the festival included workshops and talks with prominent guests. Here are some of the highlights:
• The 17th International Istanbul Theatre Festival started with a special staging of Hekate's Song at Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.
• Famed US actor John Malkovich met Istanbul's audience with one of the most ambitious productions of the festival, an opera play titled The Infernal Comedy. Malkovich does not only act in but also directed this play, which stages the real life story of Austrian serial killer and incorrigible womaniser Jack Unterweger. The famous actor is accompanied by melodies of Vivaldi, Handel, Gluck, Haydn and Mozart as well as two sopranos representing Unterweger's women.
• Franz Kafka's novel The Trial, published posthumously, with an innovative interpretation by Andreas Kriegenburg. Produced by German theatre collective Münchner Kammerspiele, The Trial narrates the story of Josef K., who is on trial for a crime, the reason of which he does not understand.
• The writer and director René Pollesch, who seeks to establish a new form in dramatic arts in the 21st century, stands out with his strong political discourse in the unusual project Ruhr Trilogy,s a three-year old experimental and political theatre project.
• The dance centre of London Sadler’s Wells has been a guest in the Istanbul Theatre Festival with the choreography of one of the masters of contemporary dance, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Cherkaoui’s work Sutra gets its inspiration from skill, strength, and spirituality of Buddhist Shaolin monks.
• The most famous and influential theatre director of Japan, Tadashi Suzuki, attended to the festival with Elektra this year. Elektra is Suzuki's interpretation of the classical text of Euripides, through Hoffmansthal's turn of the century Sophocles adaptations.
• Sunken RED is Belgian-Dutch collaboration, produced by Toneelhuis & Ro Theatre. The play depicts the Japanese hostage camps during the Second World War and is adapted from the autobiographical novel of Dutch author Jeroen Brouwers. Adapted to the stage as an epic monologue by the Belgian director and the recipient of the Grand Prize of European Theatre Awards Guy Cassiers, the play is narrated by one of the most talented actors of Europe Dirk Roofthooft.
• Remembered in the 150th year of his birth with activities all around the world, the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov has been remembered with a festival this year. Piano written by Trevor Griffiths, who was inspired by Chekhov's works, is a joint production of Talimhane Theatre and Akbank Arts. Piano is presented with Mehmet Ergen's direction and a rich cast including Tilbe Saran, Cüneyt Türel, Esra Bezen Bilgin and Serhat Tutumluer.
• Altıdan Sonra Tiyatro stages Yiğit Sertdemir's adaptation of The Cloven Viscount by Italo Calvino, who does not cease to surprise his readers with his imagination and competence in language.
Have a look behind the scenes of the Istanbul Theatre Festival by watching the video!
