The 24th edition of the Istanbul Theatre Festival, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Koç Holding Energy Group Companies Aygaz, Opet and Tüpraş, is realised between 14 November and 1 December 2020 both on stage and online with a hybrid programme. The physical performances of the festival continue to meet with the audience on the stage with updated dates and times due to the new COVID-19 measures. Festival’s online performances are available on online.iksv.org with an extended streaming date until 14 December for audiences both in Turkey and around the world. Four of these performances are available for streaming with English subtitles.
Festival hosts 25 local and international productions
The festival present both physical and online performances by 21 local and 4 international theatre and dance companies. This year, the festival opens up a wider platform to local companies that were adversely affected by the pandemic. Festival’s Local Productions Performance Sponsor ENKA Foundation supports 20 local productions to be staged in physical venues and online platform. Another local performance of the festival, Dumrul and the Grim Reaper, will meet with the audience with Tekfen Holding‘s Special Performance Sponsorship.
Online performances are available for streaming for audiences around the world
Among the 12 online performances streamed on festival’s digital platform for audiences from all around the world, four performances by local and international productions are available for streaming with English subtitles: Dopo La Battaglia by Pippo Delbono Company, Lear in the Kitchen by Kadro Pa, Less Than No Time by Taldans and A Case Per Day by BGST Tiyatro will be streamed on online.iksv.org between 14 November and 14 December.
Renowned Italian theatre director Pippo Delbono’s latest work Dopo La Battaglia (After The Battle) is a composition that opens wide the doors of our existential darkness, in a continuous flow that pierces through the void it has unveiled.
In Less Than No Time, contemporary dance duo Taldans explores the mathematics of nature and emotions through series and sets and aims to reflect this exploration on the stage by examining the dynamics of the music technique and theory Serialism.
Lear in the Kitchen asks what if Shakespeare’s classic play King Lear were staged around a kitchen counter surrounded by various cooking utensils, what kind of play and food would emerge? Having previously blended object theatre with storytelling in their play Macbeth in the Kitchen, this time Kadro Pa will be cooking a ‘tragic dinner with a sauce of revenge’.
BGST Tiyatro’s A Case Per Day tells seven Covid-19 stories from seven women named after the days of the week. These seven women with different profiles, some of whom are Covid-19 ‘positive’, some ‘negative’, each in isolation, in a sense, keep a record of days of the pandemic with their personal narratives.
Click to see the full online programme of the festival.
Festival’s Opening Performance & Honorary Awards
The festival kicked off with the live performance Diagonale Ascendante by the French ensemble Retouramont, performed on the façade of Yapı Kredi bomontiada in Istanbul on 14 November with the kind contribution of Institut Français. Diagonale Ascendante met with the audience again on 15 November with two more free performances at Yapı Kredi bomontiada. The Opening Performance will be available to watch for free between 21 and 28 November on İKSV’s YouTube channel.
Festival’s Opening Ceremony was realised virtually on festival’s social media channels on 14 November. The ceremony started with the opening speech of the Chairman of İKSV Bülent Eczacıbaşı, Chairman of Koç Holding Energy Group Yağız Eyüboğlu and Istanbul Theatre Festival Director Leman Yılmaz, followed by the introductions of this year’s festival award recipients. Festival’s Honorary Awards were presented to dancer and choreographer Geyvan McMillen, director Işıl Kasapoğlu and director Ivo van Hove.
Festival programme
From sound performances to interactive productions, the festival programme presents an unusual experience this year. With many unique projects, theatre enthusiasts will find themselves in a promenade theatre by walking through venues in Istanbul’s famous İstiklal Street or turn their homes into a gallery. The festival programme also features a number of events within the scope of its Learning and Training Programme including panels, reader’s theatres, and workshops.
Festival meets the audience on stage and screens
The physical performances take place under Covid-19 measures in various venues in Istanbul such as DasDas, Fişekhane, Moda Stage, Zorlu PSM, Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage, Babylon, Yapı Kredi bomontiada, Caddebostan Kültür Merkezi and Surp Vortvos Vorodman Church. The online performances are available for streaming on online.iksv.org, İKSV’s YouTube channel and Zoom for audiences to enjoy on their screens.
Important Notice about Covid-19 Measures
The indoor performances of the 24th Istanbul Theatre Festival plays take place in accordance with the measures specified in the “Notice for the Controlled Normalisation at Culture and Arts Facilities” issued by the General Directorate of Investments and Enterprises of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on June 23, 2020. Detailed information available on: https://tiyatro.iksv.org/en/important-notices
Click to see the full programme of the 24th Istanbul Theatre Festival.
Festival tickets are available on biletix.com
