Turkish female theater artist Nurhan Uslu makes history in Uzbekistan theater

Nurhan Uslu, Editor-in-Chief of the Theater Newspaper, President of the International Anatolia Theater Awards Jury, General Artistic Director of Mask-Kara Theater, actor, and director, continues to achieve firsts by adding a new success in Uzbekistan to the successful works she has staged in Turkey.

The non-verbal children's play titled "Merhaba Gölgem" (Hello My Shadow), based on a story by Ali Eyidoğan, was staged at the Kashkadarya State Puppet Theater under the direction of Nurhan Uslu. The play, which focuses on a child who sees their own shadow, is afraid of it, and then gradually gets used to it, teaches children that they should not be afraid of their shadows.

Merhaba Gölgem is a shadow play designed to give children room for their imagination and to encourage them to put themselves in the place of the hero or their shadow.

Director and actor Nurhan Uslu, who went to Uzbekistan at the invitation of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aybek Kopadze Veysaloğlu, Head of the International Relations Department of the Uzbekistan Theater Association, began work on the play on June 14. Regarding the play, which was watched and approved by the Ministry of Culture's monitoring committee for its first screening and then met with audiences in Uzbekistan on July 2, Uslu made the following statement: "We have prepared a movement-based play that we approached with a universal perspective, which can be understood anywhere in the world without a language barrier. As a team, we are excited and we invite everyone to share in our excitement."

The play's first international screening will take place at the 36th Denizli International Theater Festival in September and the 11th Mardin International Children and Youth Theater Festival in November, and it will continue to be a guest at various countries and festivals.

Nurhan Uslu, who is the first foreign female director in Uzbekistan and also holds the title of the first director to perform a shadow play in the history of Uzbek theater, has written her name into the history of Uzbekistan theater.

In her statement to the press, Nurhan Uslu said, "I saw how the State of Uzbekistan takes ownership of its theaters. The fact that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Minister of Culture Ozodbek Nazarbekov, and other authorized institutions cherish art and value it so highly is admirable. I greet them with love and respect."

Eshmuradov Elbek, Director of the Kashkadarya Puppet Theater, stated in his remarks: "The history of the art of puppetry in our country goes back a long way. As a theater established solely for puppet theater, we were a bit surprised when we encountered a different project for the first time. However, because we have talented actors with many special skills, we adapted quickly. We had a tiring yet equally enjoyable rehearsal process. Our play premiered on July 2. Of course, it was very well received. Our puppet theater has experienced two historical events that will go down in encyclopedias in Uzbekistan. We became the first theater in Uzbekistan to have a female director and to perform a shadow play. This made us very proud. We are grateful to our director, Nurhan Uslu, for making us experience these firsts. We also extend our endless thanks to our President, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and our Minister of Culture, Ozodbek Nazarbekov, who supported us without limit."

Stating that the dance choreography of the play was done by her son, ballet student Nazım Özgürsu Uslu, Nurhan Uslu expressed that another event that made her happy was working with her son Nazım Özgürsu for the first time.

News Source: 12punto