The puppets take over Istanbul,
For the 18th time Istanbul is celebrating its International Puppet Festival, which started from October 13th and will continue for the next week until October 25th. The festival is organized by the Istanbul Karagöz Puppet Foundation and gathers different puppeteers from all over the world with the aim to bring out the child inside of you.
Karagöz, literally meaning Black-eye, refers to one of the main characters in the traditional Turkish shadows theatre, which was also known as Zill-i Hayal (imaginary shadow). The shadows theatre has played an important role in Turkish culture since the Ottoman times, and was declared as part of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO in 2009. The Kaburcak Karagöz Tiyatrosu will play a classic from this traditional art, “Magic Seed”. Also the Cengiz Özek Gölge Tiyatrosu will play a modern interpretation of the “Magic Tree”, a piece based on traditional Karagöz of the 18th and 19th century.
Two Turkish companies, Küçük Salon and Tiyatrokeyfi, will play a literature classic: “Romeo and Juliet”. Bïteatral, Kuklabaz Tiyatrosu, and Tiyatro Tem Other are also among the Turkish puppeteers companies that will participate.
This year the international puppeteers companies performing during the festival include: Teatrapo, Chile; La Pendue, France; Theare Tique, Holland; Sun Sun Arts Troupe, Hong Kong; Claudio Cinelli, Italy; Ccotbbat, Korea; The Fifth Wheel, Russia; Bambalina Teatre Practicable, Spain; Rocamora, Spain; and Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company, Taiwan.
The festival also offers other events, including the conference “Politics, Puppets and Identity in Taiwan” by Robin Ruizendaal; a workshop by Spotlight Taiwan; and the screening of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s movie “The Puppetmaster”.
The performances will take place in different venues around Istanbul, including the French Cultural Center of Istanbul, Akbank Sanat, Istanbul Forum, Marmara Forum, and the Dutch Consulate among others.
Tickets can be purchased at www.biletinial.com or at the venues one hour before the performance starts.
Further information about the festival can be obtained at: www.istanbulkuklafestivali.com
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