The unbearable exhaustion of doing theater in Anatolia

I am Cem Kaynar, I am 52 years old, and apart from my school years, I was introduced to amateur theater 32 years ago. For 25 years, I have been the General Artistic Director of Düşevi Oyuncuları, a professional theater company. My organized journey, which began with ASSITEJ and the Black Sea Theater Union Association, is based on the 'Let Our Theater Live' initiative we founded during the pandemic and subsequently the Black Sea Theater Cooperative. For this reason, I am familiar with the theater structures, stages, and actors in many Anatolian cities outside of Samsun, where I practice theater.

There is so much to be said, but I would like to continue my article by summarizing under short headings; The most important source of art is nourishment. That is, being nourished mentally. Reading books, engaging with art, seeing art venues and different artistic disciplines, interacting, being influenced, being inspired, etc. The geography we call Anatolia does not have a homogeneous structure in any sense. Sociologically, economically, and of course, artistically. In other words, an Anatolian city in Yozgat is different from one in Samsun, Antalya, or even Ankara. Therefore, I will try to generalize based on my own reality.

The biggest problem for people interested in theater in Anatolia is the inability to access good, qualified, and continuous works of art and to be nourished. The second major problem is that the number of art structures (halls, rehearsal spaces, etc.) is very, very low. Most of these structures belong to state institutions, and there is no standard for their use or the condition of the halls, and the conditions are poor. The same conditions apply to halls belonging to municipalities, and the rents are very high. In this situation, very few theaters like ours in Anatolia have had the chance to meet the necessary conditions and, saying 'enough is enough,' open a hall, even if it is small.

In addition to all these physical conditions, the biggest problem for professional theater structures is trained actors, technical staff, etc. Because if a theater does not institutionalize, it cannot grow; if it cannot grow, it cannot pay the annual living wage to its actors and technical staff, and it cannot pay their social security premiums. As a result, the friends working in the theater, even if they are very talented or conservatory graduates, cannot remain permanently. Because they need to earn money and make a living. The situation of those who play in children's plays, which is a very lucrative business, is a bit different, because since they work continuously, they can earn regular monthly money even if it is for 8 months, and some of them have their full social security premiums paid.

For example, there is a hall in Zonguldak belonging to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and its allocation has always been a problem; now it has been closed for months, saying 'it will be improved for the earthquake,' but dozens of personnel go to their daily shifts inside it.

Especially if an event like the pandemic, which affected all of us, occurs, then the excuses of the state and municipalities regarding artistic restrictions never end. For this reason, many theater institutions in Anatolia have quietly closed their curtains, never to open again.

But despite all these negatives, very few theaters like Düşevi Oyuncuları have been able to keep their curtains open uninterrupted for 25 years. As every theater artist does, we established a Theater School affiliated with the Ministry of National Education to earn additional income and to support the art process for children, youth, and adults in Samsun. Five years ago, we reached an agreement with a casting agency and started working in TV series, cinema, and commercials. Since 2006, we have received awards for our qualified plays that touch on social wounds through the original works we decided to produce, and we have organized and continue to organize tours to many cities, including Istanbul. We also catch a breath with the professional project grants we have been receiving uninterruptedly from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for 23 years. We create a repertoire in our own 50-seat Düşevi Stage and put on an average of 4-5 different plays in the old and new year.

As a result, if the social security of theater workers is not ensured with a legalized seriousness, and if infrastructures do not become widespread and accessible, many of our students whom we send to the conservatory with the desire to make this a profession will rightfully go to Istanbul upon graduation, chase after TV series, cinema, and commercial jobs, and try to make a living.

And we, as a 25-year-old theater known by everyone and whose plays are liked, stand by and watch the filling of some very qualified and some worthless plays that are known from TV and social media in our city—that is, advertised in advance—and we experience the unbearable exhaustion of doing theater in Anatolia.

It is the colors and cultural richness of Anatolia that will change and transform life, living, and our country. If this is ignored, along with good examples, Istanbul Theaters that resemble each other through a series of aesthetic surgeries and cute comedy plays will run rampant everywhere.

The country is the same country; nothing has changed. In 1991, when I started these jobs, it was said in schools, 'There will be a drama class, a child will be able to reach the theater at least twice a year,' and it is 2023 and it is still being said.

Cem KAYNAR

General Artistic Director of Düşevi Oyuncuları