A Brand-new Festival in Bodrum!

01 November 2023

A BRAND-NEW FESTIVAL IN BODRUM! THE SCHEDULE OF THE INTERNATIONAL BODRUM THEATER FESTIVAL, WHICH WILL BE HELD FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR ON NOVEMBER 3-16, HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.

Bodrum is to get a brand-new festival: to be held for the first time this year on November 3-16, the International Bodrum Theater Festival (BOTIF) will stage 23 different productions, including 7 foreign productions! In addition to the productions from a variety of branches including theater, music, dance and performance from Türkiye, Germany, Belgium, France and Greece, to be staged on land and on the sea, the festival will also feature talks and workshops. The first of the International Bodrum Theater Festival, which will be held under the co-artistic direction of Ovul Avkiran and Mustafa Avkiran, will bring the centuries-old richness of these lands to Bodrum, through its program that blends music, dance, literature, cinema, painting, sculpture and architecture, on the 100th year of establishment of our Republic. All tickets of the 1st International Bodrum Theater Festival are available on Biletinial!

Created by adopting the holistic and inclusive artistic approach of theater, the International Bodrum Theater Festival (BOTIF) will be held for the first time this year on November 3-16, 2023. With the aim to introduce a new sharing and discussion platform, which unites a variety of art disciplines, to Bodrum, the festival also offers an important experience to discover the potential of the town. Seeking for different ways of looking at Bodrum, the stronghold of great civilization where culture and art have always existed and on which poems, songs and books have been written, Ovul Avkiran and Mustafa Avkiran are the co-artistic directors of the International Bodrum Theater Festival. Regarding the festival, the couple said: “With the holistic artistic approach and need, BOTIF will become the new space of interdisciplinary transition. This festival stands for making us ask new questions with our knowledge and with what we have acquired so far and think about and experience 'A Different Bodrum' once again."

Stating that they are more than pleased to be a stakeholder of the International Bodrum Theater Festival, one of the largest events held in Bodrum, Ahmet Aras, the Mayor of Bodrum, said, “This brand-new festival, where productions from a variety of branches, including theater, music and dance, will be staged, will help Bodrum shout out the richness of these lands to our country and the world, once again. The program, where various art events will be staged both on land and the sea, will give a new impulse to our town.”

The 1st International Bodrum Theater Festival will stage a total of 23 different productions, including 7 foreign productions, from Türkiye, Germany, Belgium, France and Greece, as part of the fully-packed program, varying from contemporary dance to performative presentations, from dance theater to concerts and musical literature readings. Events to be held as part of the festival will take place at Inspera Sahne, Inspera Mini Sahne, Inspera Acik Sahne, Bodrum Castle, STS Bodrum, Heredot Cultural Center of Bodrum Municipality and Nurol Cultural Center. 

PLAYS FROM TÜRKİYE AND EUROPE

The festival will start off with the play “Deli Dumrul” staged by the City Theaters of the Metropolitan Municipality of Izmir, and continue with the productions “BIZ” by Bedirhan Dehmen & MTDist, “Gelin Tanis Olalim” by Donkisot Tiyatro, “Misket” by Faraza Tiyatro, “Hakikat, Elbet Bir Gun” by Tiyatro D22, “Istirap Korosu” by BAM Istanbul, “Hasret” by Sirin Aktemur and “Hayal Saticisi” by AYSA Prodıksiyon Tiyatrosu. As part of the 1st BOTIF,  the productions “NSU - Kurbanlar Arasinda Almanlar da Var” by Interkulturell-Aktiv e.V. and “Ashura” by MomoAct from Germany; “Tut Birak” by Theater Antract and “Gilgamis” by Platform 0090 from Belgium will be staged.

FLOATING STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL

The reading theater to be held on STS Bodrum, the first sailing school ship in the history of our republic, will sure become the most extraordinary event of the festival. STS Bodrum, the floating stage of the festival, will sail towards the sunset, accompanied by “Mavi Surgun” by the famous author Halikarnas Balikcisi, who became the symbol of Bodrum, on the 50th year of his death. The event will be hosted by Jehan Barbur, and a number of theater artists, including Asli Kobanbay, Berna Lacin, Derya Alabora, Deniz Cakir, Esra Akkaya, Gulbin Yesil, Kaan Cakir, Kaya Akkaya, Kerem Kobanbay, Koray Sahinbas, Mustafa Alabora and Yonca Sahinbas, will read different sections of "Mavi Surgun" during each performance, accompanied by the excellent voice and songs of Barbur.

CONCERTS

The International Bodrum Theater Festival will also bring the art lovers in Bodrum together with the concerts “Ben Ucarim Gokler Ucar” by Cem Yildiz, “Efsane Hanimlar” by Sema Moritz from Germany, “Aranjmanlar-Oykuleriyle Sarkilar” by Renan Bilek, “Das Cabaret” by Nuri Harun Ates and “Istanbul’dan Mektup” by Sokrates Sinopoulos and Derya Turkan, a joint production of Türkiye and Greece. The concert "Sarkilarin Cumhuriyeti" will be held free of charge by Dilek Turkan and Oguzhan Balci, accompanied by the City Orchestra of the Metropolitan Municipality of Mugla.

WORKSHOP, PERFORMANCES and TALKS

In addition to talks, which will be open to public and held as part of the festival at Nurol Cultural Center by Yucel Erten and Mustafa Avkiran on November 4 and by Daphnis Kokkinos and Koza Tamdoan on November 5, Kokkinos, the dancer and rehearsal director of Pina Bausch Dance Theater, will also hold a workshop for professionals, which will be available by reservation only.

The 1st BOTIF will be enlivened by the contemporary dance performance “Beyaz” by Arrangement Provisoire, a joint production of France and Brazil, and the performance “Sorularimdan Korkmayin Ben Sadece Bir Dramaturgum” by Evren Erbatur, and end with the Closing Party, where Emre Kinay and Cigdem Gurel will take the stage.

SUPPORTERS OF THE FESTIVAL

Supported by Inspera, Bodrum's new culture and art venue which provides support as a founding partner, the International Bodrum Theater Festival is held with the contributions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Republic of Türkiye, Municipality of Bodrum, BOSAV (Bodrum and Caria Culture, Art and Promotion Foundation) and Mey|Diageo.

Tickets for the 1st International Bodrum Theater Festival, which will be held on November 3-16, 2023, are available on Biletinial.

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