Tiyatroevi was founded in 2000 under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Semih Çelenk and Hamit Demir. The company aims to produce creative and contemporary work, bring together the experience and expertise of different institutions and artists, and create opportunities for collaborative production in theatre and the wider field of culture and the arts. It develops research-based and practice-oriented work in adult theatre, children’s theatre, and Community Theatre, with an international outlook.
Tiyatroevi’s artistic practice places particular emphasis on reinterpreting classical and contemporary texts, relating them to different cultural and social contexts, and approaching theatre not only as an art form performed on stage but also as a field of artistic production created together with the community.
One of the company’s founders, Prof. Dr. Semih Çelenk, is a playwright, director, translator, and academic. He graduated from the Dramatic Writing programme of the Theatre Department at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts. He has worked extensively over many years in theatre history, playwriting, translation, adaptation, and directing. He has translated, adapted, and/or directed works by writers including Dario Fo, Vala Thorsdottir, George Tabori, Howard Zinn, and Michel del Castillo. He has also published books and conducted research on theatre.
Hamit Demir is one of the founders of Tiyatroevi and serves as its General Coordinator. He has worked in theatre as an actor and administrator since 1984 and has continued his creative work in creative drama and children’s theatre since the 1990s. In 1996, he co-founded the theatre magazine Gölge Tiyatro with Semih Çelenk. From 2001 onwards, these activities continued under the umbrella of Tiyatroevi. He has written and directed numerous children’s plays and has also performed in adult theatre productions.
INTERNATIONAL WORK
Some of Tiyatroevi’s productions have also been presented internationally. Women’s Plays, directed by Semih Çelenk and produced by İzmit Municipality City Theatre, was performed in Tornio, Tostrup, Copenhagen, and Berlin. Semih Çelenk also translated Turgut Özakman’s play Töre into English under the title The Custom; the production was staged at Merge Theatre in New York in 2000.
Tiyatroevi’s activities include adult theatre, children’s theatre, and Community Theatre, as well as short plays and Karagöz/Hacivat adaptations.
SELECTED ADULT REPERTOIRE
- Paspas — written and directed by O. Coşkun Irmak
- Weisman ile Kızılyüz — written by George Tabori; directed by Semih Çelenk
- Mektep — written by Semih Çelenk & Özen Rodop; directed by Hamit Demir
- Çatıdaki Yarasa — written by Vala Thorsdottir; directed by Semih Çelenk
- Newton Bilgisayardan Ne Anlar? — written by Behiç Ak; directed by Semih Çelenk
- Deli Hasret — compiled and directed by Hamit Demir
- Hikâye-i Mahmud Bedreddin — written by Mehmet Akan; directed by Hamit Demir
- Çirkin — written by Michel del Castillo; directed by Semih Çelenk
- Fırat Tanış ile Gelin Tanış Olalım — written and directed by Semih Çelenk
- Ayrılık — written by Behiç Ak; directed by Semih Çelenk
- Marx İstanbul’da — adapted from Howard Zinn’s Marx in Soho and directed by Semih Çelenk; performed by Hamit Demir
- Meselhan / Bi Dünya Masal — written and directed by Hamit Demir
- 12 Öfkeli Adam — researched, written, and directed by Murat Karahüseyinoğlu; 70 min. A documentary-style production developed from the official records of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.
- Soytarı Kral Lear — based on William Shakespeare; reworked, translated, and rewritten by Murat Karahüseyinoğlu. A joint production by Tiyatroevi and Öteki Tiyatro.
CHILDREN’S THEATRE REPERTOIRE
- Sırça Köşk — written by Ülker Köksal; directed by Hamit Demir
- Birimiz Hepimiz İçin — written and directed by Öktem Özses
- Oz Büyücüsü — written by L. Frank Baum; directed by Öktem Özses
- Oyun Panayırı — written and directed by Hamit Demir
- Nasreddin Hoca Gide Gide — written by Mehmet Esatoğlu; directed by Hamit Demir
- Uzayda Neler Oluyor — written by Mehmet Esatoğlu; directed by Hamit Demir
- Zaman Fırfırıyla Yolculuk — written by Semih Çelenk; directed by Hamit Demir
- Tavşan Patos — written and directed by Hamit Demir
- Bir Orman Gibi — written and directed by Hamit Demir
SHORT PLAYS AND COMMUNITY THEATRE
Tiyatroevi’s short-play projects include Bozkırlar Yeşerecek (Village Institutes), Umut, Uğurlu Sözler, Uğurlu Yüzler, Can Yanarken Can Dayanmaz, Dünyanın Bütün Renkleri, Suyun Onaran Yurdu Allianoi, Ortak Düşman Amerika, Smyrna, as well as various Karagöz-Hacivat adaptations.
Tiyatroevi also played a leading role in establishing the Balıklıova Village Theatre in İzmir and has continued to develop community-based theatre projects.
ARTISTIC APPROACH
Tiyatroevi views theatre as a space where different disciplines, artists, and communities can come together in a process of creative production. Alongside the reinterpretation of classical and contemporary texts, the company brings translation, adaptation, playwriting, creative drama, and Community Theatre together within the same artistic practice.
This approach can be seen in Tiyatroevi’s work with Shakespeare, George Tabori, Howard Zinn, Michel del Castillo, Vala Thorsdottir, and various sources from Turkish literature.
Soytarı Kral Lear is an important example of Tiyatroevi’s recent collaboration with Öteki Tiyatro. Murat Karahüseyinoğlu’s rewriting of Shakespeare’s King Lear and the production’s staging approach are closely aligned with Tiyatroevi’s artistic practice of engaging with different theatrical languages and contemporary social questions.