Veda Yurtsever, who left the State Theatres, exposes what is happening in the institution! She slams Tamer Karadağlı

Master actress Veda Yurtsever, who has been performing at the State Theatres for 32 years, announced her departure from the institution and shared a striking farewell message. In her message, Yurtsever directed harsh criticisms at the institution's management approach and recent practices.

“YOU HANDED US OVER TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF MONUMENTS OF ARROGANCE”

Referring to the change in the institution over the years, Yurtsever used the following expressions:

“The decline began the moment tracksuits were replaced by suits in our institution. Unfortunately… I have seen many General Managers; I have witnessed most of them not buttoning their jackets, but you embraced our managers who spent more time at the Ministry than in their own offices and added another button to their jackets every time. I know, of course, you said like us, 'This is a temporary period, let's manage until it ends,' but you never calculated how it would wear down the relationship between us. You handed us over to the administration of monuments of arrogance who see themselves as more valuable than the institution. That was when we started heading towards the end that awaited us…”

“THEY VALUED OUR AUDIENCE ACCORDING TO THE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS”

Criticizing the hikes in ticket prices, Yurtsever stated that class segregation had begun:

“For me, the point where things reached a point of no return was the recent 'ticket price hikes.' Of course, ticket prices should have been increased in an inflationary environment, but categorizing the hall and creating 'class differences' among the audience was completely denying one's essence. We understood their personal arrogance, but if only they had left their 'class arrogance' at home and not valued our audience, who have been equalized in that hall for 80 years, according to the money in their pockets…”

“HE WENT DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE FIRST GENERAL MANAGER TO MAKE HIMSELF SO VISIBLE”

Expressing her discomfort with the appointments made to the staff and the reactions given to internal objections, the artist wrote:

“Anyway, are the young people we have taken into the staff without exams recently (I exclude my 'chosen' friends who have played good roles for years and relatively deserve it) actors of a caliber to justify these ticket prices? How can our tickets be more expensive than some private theaters? When we objected from within, we received the answer, 'Let them just not drink two coffees, for heaven's sake.' Our General Manager is already busy having himself filmed by drones and giving artistic poses, having the posters of the play he acts in hung everywhere, and inviting state officials to his play and serving photos of them in droves. He has already gone down in history as the first General Manager to make himself this 'visible' to date.”

“VIP PLANE TICKET GIFT WITH MILEAGE POINTS”

Touching on tour expenses, Yurtsever made allegations by comparing them with past periods:

“Look, for example, years ago, one of the former General Managers of the institution, Ergin Orbey, had to divide the team into two hotels on a tour and he stayed where the technical team stayed. 'Let them not be sad, let their hearts not be broken,' he said when we asked… The current one doesn't even like the hotel where the artists stay and has booked a place in a more luxurious hotel with his sidekick. Let me swallow it, let me ignore it, but what about the fact that they gift themselves international VIP plane tickets with the mileage points earned on tours? But believe me, my eyes popped out of their sockets when I learned the money paid for the hotel for just a one-day tour. Thank goodness they are also unaware of the existence of an institution called the Court of Accounts. Due to lack of planning, expenses far exceeded revenue and, of course, became more conspicuous. We are not the well-known Presidency that they can allocate a budget blindly. With the money given to the hotel for one night, a play could have been produced! Uncontrolled and constantly changing tour programs where the technical team cannot rest at all, and expenses that are far beyond the ordinary…”

Touching on co-production projects, the actress argued that personal interests came to the fore in the selected plays:

“Let me be silent about this too, but what about them turning this institution into Dingo's stable with some covers they found for their own visibility as if it were their father's property?.. What is it, 'co-production'! This co-production, for some reason, only coincided with the plays of the General Manager and his Deputy! To avoid too much talk, a play from the Bursa State Theatre was chosen. But the Deputy General Manager's plays always went on tours abroad; do I need to say that she also made these tour programs? I understand the Deputy General Manager's ambition of 'Oh, I am so talented, I am not known in Istanbul either, maybe I'll get an award or something.' And the talented girl found her reward; but how did our General Manager dare to show himself with a monstrosity that looks like a high school play with his limited ability? You know that at least three plays could have been produced with the money spent on that play.”

DOUBLE STANDARD CRITICISM

Drawing attention to the injustice in incentive payments and assignments, Yurtsever expressed the double standard with these words:

“There is also the 'incentive' issue, which is a spectacle. While there were dozens of my friends who wanted to work, yours cut their incentives because they hadn't been working for six months. Let's accept this situation, but the same incentive was given to those who haven't worked at the Ankara State Theatre for five years! Now shouldn't I ask what this double standard was determined by? The other day, I was surprised to see a friend of mine who hadn't played in a play for years in the side wing. When I expressed my astonishment, she said, 'The General Manager is my classmate, my dear, go do some assistantship, assistant directing, I'll manage you.' We already see what their standards are determined by more or less, but we wait with a futile hope that maybe they will be ashamed of putting themselves forward so much…”

“THEY ARE PUSHING ALL THE BUTTONS FOR THEIR OWN 'TULIP ERA'”

Reacting to the distribution of titles, the artist targeted some managers without naming names:

“The friend who pasted the title of Chief Director next to the Deputy General Manager position even though she only directed one play must not have found it sufficient to show herself with one play, so she had another play that will be performed in Istanbul in the new season posted along with the other Deputy General Manager. I wonder if all the facilities of the State Theatre are allocated only for them? As I said, my dear, they are pushing all the buttons for their own 'Tulip Era'.”

“OF THE ADMINISTRATORS WHO RETIRED AN ACTRESS WHO IS IN LOVE WITH HER JOB...”

Ending her farewell message with an emotional tone, Yurtsever emphasized that she would continue to act in theater:

“Don't worry about me, I've already started flirting with a few theaters. You know me, I'm one of those who 'feels like they will die if they don't do theater.' Let me be pinned like a butterfly to the lapel of today's administrators who retired an actress like me who is hardworking, in love with her job, and has served theater more than enough.

I loved you very much… I will always love the old you and I will miss you very much. I embrace you with longing, my apple of my eye, with longing…”