Istanbul Theatre Festival

This year the Istanbul Theatre Festival Honorary Award will be presented to two actors, Başar Sabuncu and Cüneyt Türel who will be on stage together at I Take Your Hand in Mine within the festival. The other Honrary Award of the festival will be presented to Thomas Ostermeier, Artistic Director of Schaubühne Berlin.
The 18th Istanbul Theatre Festival will host 5 world-famous international ensembles in addition to the 30 plus local productions: HAMLET – Schaubühne Berlin (Germany); ORPHÉE – Choreographers Montalvo & Hervieu and Dancers of Cirque du Soleil (France); KAFKA’S MONKEY– Young Vic Theatre Company (United Kingdom); HANS WAS HEIRI – Zimmerman & de Perrot (Switzerland) and RHINOCÉROS – Théâtre de la Ville (France)
Three classics by Shakespeare will be on the 18th Istanbul Theatre Festival stage. The Schaubühne Berlin production of Hamlet from Germany is followed by Antonius and Kleopatra by Oyun Atölyesi and the 18th Istanbul Theatre Festival ends with Macbeth by Tiyatro Pangar. The story of power wars, betrayal and decay, Macbeth directed by Mehmet Birkiye has Demet Evgar in one of the leading roles.
Tiyatro Oyunbaz takes part at the festival with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard. The play uses Hamlet by Shakespeare as the background and focuses on the story of the “little men” who have got stuck in the middle of big events and cannot change their destiny. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead will meet with the audience on Saturday, 2 June at 20.30 and Sunday, 3 June at 15.30 at Üsküdar Tekel Sahnesi.
The Istanbul Theatre Festival was first held in 1989, is an international event organised during three weeks in May. It takes place within 22 different venues in the city.