“In glorious Istanbul, about 100 years ago lived Hürmüz and her seven husbands…”, so wrote Sadık Şendil, one of Turkey’s greatest contemporary playwrights. Such was its popularity when this classic Turkish comedy made its debut in 1967 that it remained on stage in a sell-out run for two ye...
For the past 18 months, Ediz Mahmut has been treading the boards at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. This weekend his stint as part of the ensemble on the hit musical 42nd Street comes to an end. We caught up with Ediz, who goes by the stage name of Eddie Myles, to find out how he came...
A romantic comedy set in Cyprus and written in the Turkish Cypriot dialect is set to hit the stage in Catford later this month. Parsel Parsel, written by Zalihe Susuzlu and Aygün Kencer, will make its UK theatrical debut at Conisborough College, which is also home to Dr. Fazıl Küçük Turkis...
In recent years, there’s been a more determined effort to better represent the rich diversity across Great Britain. From casting to storytelling, the worlds of film, fashion, television and theatre are all eager to tap into the heritage and talent that exists in Britain’s black and ethnic...
Next month, Turkish actor Levent Üzümcü brings his acclaimed one-man show Anlatılan Senin Hikayendir (It’s Your Story Being Told). Written by Cengiz Toraman and adapted by Üzümcü, this contemporary play presents three different stories, starting with Uncle Mehmet from Anatolia. Told with warmth,...
For any new playwright, getting the space and support to put on a professional play is tough. For those from Britain’s black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee (BAMER) communities, it can be harder still. East London’s award-wining Arcola Theatre has a reputation for staging plays from the UK’s...
Aylin Bozok’s adaptation of Samson and Delilah takes centre stage at this year's Grimeborn season at the award-winning Arcola Theatre in East London. Dalston’s Grimeborn Festival is back for its eleventh year, presenting brand new alternative pieces to classical opera and I finally had...
After debuting at the recent Turkish Theatre Festival, staged at Millfield Theatre, directors Katharina Reinthaller and Barış Celiloğlu bring their adaption of Ariel Dorfman’s award-winning Death and the Maiden / Ölüm ve Kız to the Arcola next Sunday. The powerful play was penned in 199...
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is rarely out of the news. Beyond the headlines are a host of human stories, people trying to not only survive military occupation, but move beyond it. How do young people caught up in the conflict see the situation? Do they try to resist it? Run away? G...
A new musical stage adaptation of Bliss or Mutluluk, a novel of the same name originally written by the politician, singer and artist Zülfü Livaneli, played at the Arcola Theatre in Dalston, East London last week. A joint production with Istanbul’s experimental theatre Talimhane, this was an outstan...
