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The 30th Istanbul Theater Festival will bring together 17 productions from Türkiye and abroad across 13 venues in Istanbul from Oct. 22 to Dec. 3, with a program spanning theater, contemporary dance and performance.
Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and curated by Mehmet Birkiye, the festival will feature 11 productions from Türkiye and six international works, while two projects will receive support from the IKSV Young Artist Fund.
This year's program will take up themes including memory, language, communication, women's experiences, war, social change and belonging, while productions will spread out across cultural venues on both sides of Istanbul.
The festival will open with "Lacrima," written and directed by French director Caroline Guiela Nguyen, the first female director of Theatre National de Strasbourg.
Set to be staged at Zorlu PSM's Turkcell Stage on Oct. 22-23, the production follows a chain of labor stretching from a Paris fashion house to embroidery workshops in Mumbai. French, Tamil, English and French sign language are used throughout the performance.
The program will also bring "Ruzgar Agaci," choreographed by Fernando Melo and produced in collaboration with the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and MDTistanbul, to the AKM Theatre Hall on Oct. 24-25.
Nederlands Dans Theater's NDT 2, described as one of the world's leading contemporary dance companies, will return to Istanbul after a long absence with a three-part program bringing together works by choreographers from different generations.
The company will perform at Zorlu PSM's Turkcell Stage on Nov. 27-28.
The international lineup will also include Russian director Dmitry Krymov's "Requiem," Palestinian artist Marah Haj Hussein's "Dil Broblem Degil," or "Language Is Not a Problem," and award-winning company Ad Infinitum's wordless solo performance "Veda Ritueli."
Several productions will turn toward Istanbul's own stories and cultural memory, including Murat Mahmutyazicioglu's "Istanbul Mon Amour: Ask > Nefret < Ask," which will unfold across different locations in Kadikoy on Nov. 21-22.
"Silahsor Kizi Rabia Hanim," inspired by the writings of Istanbul historian Resad Ekrem Kocu, will be staged at Phebus Auction House, while "Bir Ceyiz Sozlesmesi," written by Elif Ozge Maltepe and directed by Murat Daltaban, will take place at the Yenikoy Panayia Greek Orthodox Church.
The festival will also continue "Bu Iste Bir Kadin Var," a selection designed to bring greater visibility to works by women writers, directors and performers. Among its productions will be Henrik Ibsen's "Nora, Bir Bebek Evi," interpreted by Norwegian director, performer and puppeteer Yngvild Aspeli.
The "Yeni Arayislar" section, launched three years ago to support new artistic approaches, will return with "En Son Neyi Unuttugumu Hatirlamiyorum" and "Aksak Deliryum."
According to festival programming manager Handan Uzal Dundar, all 11 productions from Türkiye will premiere during the festival, while international works will come from a range of countries including France, the Netherlands, Palestine and Lithuania.
She also noted that returning strands such as "Istanbul Mon Amour," the women-focused program and adaptations of literary works would continue alongside new productions.
The festival will close on Dec. 3 with an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray," directed by Birkiye and adapted for the stage by Kerem Kurdoglu.
Featuring Salih Bademci, Engin Hepileri and Yigit Sertdemir, the production will also mark the final work of Birkiye's three-year period as festival curator.
Actor Tilbe Saran, meanwhile, received the festival's Honorary Award at a ceremony in Beyoglu.
Following advance sales for Lale Kart members, general ticket sales will open at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 11 through Passo's website, mobile application and retail sales points.
A limited number of student tickets will be offered for TL50 through the Eczacibasi Young Ticket project.
The festival will also run free talks, masterclasses, workshops and book-club meetings under its "Festival Arti" program, including masterclasses with Fernando Melo and Caroline Guiela Nguyen and free puppet workshops for children.
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