Adana prepares for theater festival

The Adana Theater Festival, organized by the State Theaters Directorate and the Sabancı Foundation, will kick off Friday, World Theater Day. The 11th edition of the festival will host 11 Turkish and six foreign theater groups.

"The festival will be celebrated this year with larger attendance and more enthusiasm," said Ahenk Demir, the Adana State Theater, or ADT, art director and deputy manager, at a press conference held with festival committee chairman Hakan Elmasoğlu and other committee members.

Demir said the opening of the festival would be made with the world renowned Spanish Comedian’s Group’s play called "The Genies of Fire" on the historical Taşköprü Bridge. "Also, the Irish play ’The Remarkable Journey of Donald Crowhurst,’ the Slovakian ’Dance Hall,’ the Italian ’Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters,’ the Russian ’World’s Former Owners’ and the French ’Excited Journey’ will be guests at the festival. Also four private theater groups, the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality City Theater and the Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Sivas, Van and Konya state theaters will stage their plays."

Sabancı’s heritage

Demir said the festival program was full and satisfactory. "That the opening will be on Taşköprü will make the festival more entertaining. The historical bridge will turn into an art and show center. Eleven years go, the deceased Turkish businessman Sakıp Sabancı and his family organization, the Sabancı Foundation, were there for us; we have made our dreams come true together. We have brought a prestigious and world-known theater festival to Adana and Turkey. We will improve this festival, which is a heritage from Sabancı, every year," she said.

Demir said the festival would be simultaneously organized in Adana and Istanbul, and that some plays would be staged at the Sabancı University in Istanbul.

The opening ceremony of the festival will be organized at the Adana Hilton Hotel with the participation of Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay and Sabancı Foundation Board of Trustees President Güler Sabancı. The Sakıp Sabancı Success Award, which has been given to the masters of theater since 2005, will be presented on the same day.

Tickets for the festival are available starting today at the box office of state theaters and at the Çukuorva University Cultural Directorate. It is also possible to but tickets through the Internet. The prices for tickets are 10 Turkish liras and 7.5 Turkish liras for students. Children’s theater plays will cost 3 liras.

"We think festival tickets will be sold out very quickly," said Ahenk. "The festival is a great contribution to the promotion of the region."

Besides 18 plays, there will be various events and exhibitions everyday during the festival, except March 29, the day of local elections.

Festival program

- March 27-28: The Genies of Fire (Spain)

- March 30-31: Animal Farm (Sivas State Theater)

- April 1-2-3-4: Phosphorous Cevriye (Ankara State Theater)

- April 5-6: The Remarkable Journey of Donald Crowhurst (Irish Blue Raincoat Theater)

- April 7-8: Slovak National Theater

- April 9: My Dreams (Konya State Theater)

- April 11-12: Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters (Italian Piccolo Theater)

- April 13-14: Mad World (Van State Theater)

- April 15-16: Guest (İzmir State Theater)

- April 17-18: World's Former Owners (Noscow Art Theater)

- April 19: The Little Prince (Eskişehir Municipality City Theater)

- April 20-21: Caligula (Eskişehir Municipality City Theater)

- April 22-23: Six Dance Les-sons in Six Weeks (Theater Istanbul)

- April 24-25: 39 Steps (Kenter Theater)

- April 26-27: Return of Marx (Dostlar Theater)

- April 28-29: Ortaoyun-cular - 2019

- April 30: Excited Journey (French Generik Vapeur Street Theater)