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Stage and screen actor Sermet Yeşil plays a street dog in the new play “Gezerken,” inspired by the Gezi Park protests that took place across Turkey in June.
14 August 2013 /M. CEM ÖZTÜFEKÇİ, İSTANBUL
The Gezi Park protests in June not only produced witty satire and improvised works of contemporary art, but also a play that debuted on June 8 in the very spot that gave the nationwide protests their name.
The play's second performance (originally planned for the following day, June 9, but canceled due to police intervention) took place in Abbasağa Park in Beşiktaş on Aug. 4 before an audience of 400 people. It was also staged on Monday this week at Yoğurtçu Park in Kadıköy.
The name of the play is “Gezerken” (While Touring) -- a nod to the park's name, which is the Turkish word for “tour.” The word “tour” itself might suggest a joyful journey, but one cannot say the play is a joyful one, for its four co-writers recount the Gezi protests based on what they experienced and witnessed during the protests.
The four playwrights are Cem Uslu from Ekip Tiyatrosu, Mirza Metin from Şermola Performance, Yiğit Sertdemir from Altıdan Sonra Tiyatro and Özen Yula. On stage in the play are four performers: Serkan Altıntaş, Sermet Yeşil, Erdem Akakçe and Sevinç Erbulak.
The play is composed of four acts, during which each performer presents his/her own 15-minute monologue. Altıntaş plays a 32-year-old office worker named Mehmet Abdullah, a name that pays homage to two Gezi protesters, Mehmet Ayvalıtaş and Abdullah Cömert, who lost their lives during the protests. The character Mehmet Abdullah is an ordinary office worker who has rarely taken to the streets for protests -- except on two occasions: one after the murder of journalist Hrant Dink and the other on Labor Day. During the police intervention in Gezi Park he was there, but only by coincidence. As he recounts what he witnessed there, he says the solidarity he saw seen in the park convinced him to remain from that day on. Altıntaş's performance skillfully presents the anxiety of an ordinary citizen who suddenly becomes part of massive street protests.
Yeşil plays a street dog in Gezi Park in “Gezerken.” Known for his brilliant turn as a thief who works miracles in Reha Erdem's 2010 film “Kosmos” (Cosmos), Yeşil once more shines on stage with his performance as a dog named Kıtmir. Kıtmir has lost his friend Salih, who is also a dog, during the protests. During his search, he is exposed to tear gas and water cannon from the police. He gets help from protesters, who wipe his eyes with antacid water to counteract the tear gas. When humans -- whom he calls “two-leggers” -- help him, Kıtmir doesn't only witness the solidarity among them, but also their compassion for animals.
The third performance is by Akakçe, who plays a factory worker who died in Taksim Square during the deadly Labor Day rally of 1977. He travels through time and his own memory to recall that day and connect the Gezi protests with the Taksim massacre of May 1, 1977, pointing out the blood-spattered history of protests in Turkey. Akakçe's character tells of his romantic feelings for a fellow worker, Aysel, who he encountered in Taksim Square during the protest. As soon as he saw her there, the bullets started to fly and the pair ran towards the infamous Kazancı Yokuşu, where they were killed. Witnessing the Gezi protests, he longs to be there and dreams that maybe, had he lived, he would have married Aysel, and their kids would now be in Taksim with the Gezi protesters. Akakçe gives a very natural performance and takes the audience on an emotional journey into the past.
The play's final act represents state power, with Erbulak playing the police in an innovative way, for she doesn't play a policeman or a police woman, but a water cannon. Throughout the act, when the water cannon needs to refill its tank, Erbulak asks the audience if they could give her some water, and after getting the water, she inevitably throws it back at the audience -- a group that is largely composed of Gezi protesters. The water cannon brags about the places and people it hit and how it became hugely famous in just one month.
The play “Gezerken” might go down in history as the first play of the new Turkey. This is an honest, simple and sincere play that documents the Gezi protests on the stage. There are no more scheduled performances this month, but expect to see more performances of this play in the upcoming season.
The name of the play is “Gezerken” (While Touring) -- a nod to the park's name, which is the Turkish word for “tour.” The word “tour” itself might suggest a joyful journey, but one cannot say the play is a joyful one, for its four co-writers recount the Gezi protests based on what they experienced and witnessed during the protests.
The four playwrights are Cem Uslu from Ekip Tiyatrosu, Mirza Metin from Şermola Performance, Yiğit Sertdemir from Altıdan Sonra Tiyatro and Özen Yula. On stage in the play are four performers: Serkan Altıntaş, Sermet Yeşil, Erdem Akakçe and Sevinç Erbulak.
The play is composed of four acts, during which each performer presents his/her own 15-minute monologue. Altıntaş plays a 32-year-old office worker named Mehmet Abdullah, a name that pays homage to two Gezi protesters, Mehmet Ayvalıtaş and Abdullah Cömert, who lost their lives during the protests. The character Mehmet Abdullah is an ordinary office worker who has rarely taken to the streets for protests -- except on two occasions: one after the murder of journalist Hrant Dink and the other on Labor Day. During the police intervention in Gezi Park he was there, but only by coincidence. As he recounts what he witnessed there, he says the solidarity he saw seen in the park convinced him to remain from that day on. Altıntaş's performance skillfully presents the anxiety of an ordinary citizen who suddenly becomes part of massive street protests.
Yeşil plays a street dog in Gezi Park in “Gezerken.” Known for his brilliant turn as a thief who works miracles in Reha Erdem's 2010 film “Kosmos” (Cosmos), Yeşil once more shines on stage with his performance as a dog named Kıtmir. Kıtmir has lost his friend Salih, who is also a dog, during the protests. During his search, he is exposed to tear gas and water cannon from the police. He gets help from protesters, who wipe his eyes with antacid water to counteract the tear gas. When humans -- whom he calls “two-leggers” -- help him, Kıtmir doesn't only witness the solidarity among them, but also their compassion for animals.
The third performance is by Akakçe, who plays a factory worker who died in Taksim Square during the deadly Labor Day rally of 1977. He travels through time and his own memory to recall that day and connect the Gezi protests with the Taksim massacre of May 1, 1977, pointing out the blood-spattered history of protests in Turkey. Akakçe's character tells of his romantic feelings for a fellow worker, Aysel, who he encountered in Taksim Square during the protest. As soon as he saw her there, the bullets started to fly and the pair ran towards the infamous Kazancı Yokuşu, where they were killed. Witnessing the Gezi protests, he longs to be there and dreams that maybe, had he lived, he would have married Aysel, and their kids would now be in Taksim with the Gezi protesters. Akakçe gives a very natural performance and takes the audience on an emotional journey into the past.
The play's final act represents state power, with Erbulak playing the police in an innovative way, for she doesn't play a policeman or a police woman, but a water cannon. Throughout the act, when the water cannon needs to refill its tank, Erbulak asks the audience if they could give her some water, and after getting the water, she inevitably throws it back at the audience -- a group that is largely composed of Gezi protesters. The water cannon brags about the places and people it hit and how it became hugely famous in just one month.
The play “Gezerken” might go down in history as the first play of the new Turkey. This is an honest, simple and sincere play that documents the Gezi protests on the stage. There are no more scheduled performances this month, but expect to see more performances of this play in the upcoming season.