With the arrival of autumn, Istanbul’s theatre calendar regains its momentum. Spanning a curated map from the 30th Istanbul Theatre Festival—directed under the curation of Mehmet Birkiye—to premieres across independent and private stages, this season is firmly anchored in themes of memory, existence, and reckoning.
1. Sanatçısı Belirsiz: İvi Buradaydı
The story of İvi Stangali—a Greek-Istanbulite painter, student of Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, and founding member of the Group of 10 whose career was truncated by forced exile in 1964—takes to the stage. Written by Çiğdem Erdöl, the play traces an artist often reduced to the footnote “artist unknown” in museum inventories. Directed by Zeynep Özden and Elif Sözer, the production features Tilbe Saran, Fulya Peker, and Çağdaş Ekin Şişman, who simultaneously portray İvi across different stages of her life and pivotal turning points.
- Dates & Venues: 3–4 November (Arter Karbon), 17 November (Bakırköy Leyla Gencer Opera and Arts Center)
2. Changes
Penned by Maja Zade and originally staged by Thomas Ostermeier at the Berlin Schaubühne, Changes zeroes in on the turning points of a relationship spanning over two decades. Opening with an unremarkable morning breakfast, the play charts the characters’ drifts across a single day and who they become upon returning home at night. Marked by a fast pace and demanding physical performance, the production sees just two actors embody 23 distinct roles.
- Dates & Venues: As part of the festival program and across independent stages throughout the season.
3. Çatıya Tıklatma
Written by Palestinian playwright and performer Khawla Ibraheem, this solo play takes its title from the “roof knocking” warning munitions used by the Israeli military prior to bombardments. Starring Nihal Yalçın, the narrative centers on Maryam, who rehearses evacuation drills during a five-minute window to keep her son alive. Directed by Ali Haydar Çataltepe and translated by Arya Akkutlu, the production maintains a tense balance between tragedy and dark humor (+16).
- Dates & Venues: 5–6 October (Moda Sahnesi)
4. Elizabeth Costello
Adapted for the stage by Saim Güveloğlu from J. M. Coetzee’s novel (published in Turkish as Romancının Romanı), this production brings together the elderly writer Elizabeth Costello’s internal reckonings with morality, animal rights, speciesism, and intellectual responsibility. With dramaturgy by Nagihan Gürkan, Tansu Biçer stars alongside Tülin Özen, Defne Koldaş, and Sezer Arıçay.
- Dates & Venues: 4–5 November (Paribu Art), continuing at the same venue throughout the season.
5. Anna K.
Suzie Miller, writer of Prima Facie, transposes Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina into the contemporary media landscape. When Anna, a broadcast journalist at the height of her career, leaves her loveless marriage to pursue her own desires, she triggers a wave of digital outrage—exposing how a woman reporting the news becomes the news herself. Directed by and starring Nagihan Gürkan, the cast includes Özlem Öçalmaz, İbrahim Arıcı, and Ceren Köse.
- Dates & Venues: 18–19 November (Cloud 34, Bomonti Hilton), continuing every Sunday at the same venue.
6. Dorian Gray’in Portresi
Serving as the closing production of the Istanbul Theatre Festival, Oscar Wilde’s timeless work comes to life under Mehmet Birkiye’s direction and Kerem Kurdoğlu’s adaptation. Starring Salih Bademci, Engin Hepileri, and Yiğit Sertdemir, this single-act, 90-minute play incorporates a chorus to re-examine notions of youth, beauty, and moral decay.
- Dates & Venues: 3 December Premiere (Zorlu PSM Turkcell Platinum Stage)
7. Günah Koleksiyoncusu
Produced by YoYo Tiyatro, this play is written and directed by Elif Baş İyibozkurt. Centered on the tension between Riley, the founder of an anonymous digital platform where people share their darkest secrets, and Alex, the manager attempting to unravel Riley’s mysterious identity, the work opens up a dialogue around justice, forgiveness, and digital memory. The cast features Cem Burçin Bengisu, Selena Demirli, and Tuğçe Tanış.
- Dates & Venues: 23 October Premiere (Koma Sahnesi)
8. Maceracı Annelerin Savunması Adına
Translated and directed by Sarp Doğa Çelik from Simon Marshall’s text—inspired by the life of British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves—the play explores the diverging paths of two siblings raised in mountaineering whose mother disappears on an expedition: Theo, who chooses safety, and Nancy, who embraces risk. Fatma Zehra Durgut and Sezer Arıçay star, with voiceover work by Tülin Özen.
- Dates & Venues: Throughout the season at Bahçe Galata
9. Ermiş
Kahlil Gibran’s classic work is reimagined by Tiyatro Jüt as a solo performance blending traditional meddah storytelling with contemporary theatrical techniques. Directed by and starring Edip Tepeli, who brings 30 distinct characters to life using only a cane and a shawl, the play explores love, marriage, grief, and freedom within a mystical, 18-pillar setting.
- Dates & Venues: 9 October (House of Performance), 27 October (Moda Sahnesi)
10. İntihar Dükkânı
Adapted for the stage by Ersin Yaşar from Jean Teulé’s darkly comedic novel, the play follows the Tuvache family, who run a shop selling suicide supplies in a city overwhelmed by despair. Their established order is upended by the birth of their relentlessly cheerful youngest son. Performed by an ensemble cast including Elif Mandan, Ertuğrul Gümrükçüoğlu, Özge Ünal, and Erdi Güçlü, the production highlights a world where even hope can prove destructive.
- Dates & Venues: Throughout the season at DasDas Sahne
11. Tutulmamış Yaslar
Produced by Porte Tiyatro, this 65-minute, single-act play addresses the heavy burden of childhood domestic abuse in adulthood through the confrontation of two siblings. Written by Onur Asil Ocak, who also stars alongside Mısra Tüfek under the direction of Sena Nihan Erdem, the work treads the fine line between remembering, silence, and forgetting (+18).
- Dates & Venues: 1 October Premiere (Pax Sahne); 7, 17, 26 October (Koma Sahnesi)
12. Aksak Deliryum
Written and directed by Yeşim Özsoy, founder of GalataPerform, this play delivers a contemporary apocalyptic narrative drawing on ancient deluge myths. Beginning in an Etiler café and tracking signs of disaster creeping into daily life, mythological figures such as Noah, Abraham, and Mary intersect in present-day Istanbul. Starring Batur Belirdi, Elif Temuçin, and Evrim Doğan, the production features an original sound design by Murat Ertel.
- Dates & Venues: 24–25 November (Alan Kadıköy)
Season Calendar
- 1 October: Tutulmamış Yaslar (Pax Sahne Premiere)
- 5–6 October: Çatıya Tıklatma (Moda Sahnesi)
- 7, 17, 26 October: Tutulmamış Yaslar (Koma Sahnesi)
- 9 & 27 October: Ermiş (House of Performance & Moda Sahnesi)
- 23 October: Günah Koleksiyoncusu (Koma Sahnesi Premiere)
- 3–4 & 17 November: Sanatçısı Belirsiz: İvi Buradaydı (Arter Karbon & Bakırköy LGM)
- 4–5 November: Elizabeth Costello (Paribu Art)
- 18–19 November: Anna K. (Cloud 34, Bomonti Hilton)
- 24–25 November: Aksak Deliryum (Alan Kadıköy)
- 3 December: Dorian Gray’in Portresi (Zorlu PSM Turkcell Platinum Stage)
- Throughout the Season: Maceracı Annelerin Savunması Adına (Bahçe Galata), İntihar Dükkânı (DasDas)
