Adana Int’l Theater Festival to open on March 27

ADANA

The 25th State Theaters–Sabancı International Adana Theater Festival, organized by the State Theaters under the Culture and Tourism Ministry in cooperation with the Sabancı Foundation, will open on March 27, marking World Theater Day.

According to a statement from the Adana State Theater, the festival will run until April 11.

Tickets for the event are currently on sale. The program will feature 17 plays, six workshops, two exhibitions and one collaborative production.

The festival will open with a street performance by the Dutch group Close Act. Theater companies from Georgia, the United Kingdom and Russia will also take part with the productions “Yakish and Poupche,” “Now” and “Tartuffe.”

Turkish theater groups including Tiyatro Fam, Istanbul Temaşa Tiyatro, Myart Tiyatro and Cihangir Atölye Sahne will also meet audiences during the festival.

Performances will take place at several venues across the city, including the Ramazanoğlu Cultural Center Stage, Adana Burda Mall PGM Stage, Çukurova University, Merkez Park and the 100. Yıl Çırçır Art Center.

State theaters from Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Trabzon and Antalya will present productions including “Küçük Bir İş İçin Yaşlı Bir Palyaço Aranıyor,” “Sessizlik! Kayıttayız!,” “Kan Kardeşler,” “Oyun Oyun İçinde,” “Sefiller,” “Kuşlar,” “Öteki Ankara Müzikali” and “Ölü Canlar,” while İzmir State Theater will stage the children’s play “Gümüş Patenler.”

The Sakıp Sabancı Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented during the opening ceremony on March 27.

State Theaters General Director and Artistic Director Tamer Karadağlı said they were proud to celebrate World Theater Day with the festival.

“Our festival, drawing strength from Adana’s deep-rooted cultural heritage, has become an important artistic platform bringing together local and international theater companies and uniting different cultures under the same applause,” Karadağlı said.

Sabancı Foundation General Manager Nevgül Bilsel Safkan also emphasized their commitment to making culture and art accessible to everyone.

Safkan said the festival, which has hosted nearly 1 million spectators so far, has become one of Türkiye’s longest-running international theater festivals and plays an important role in strengthening Adana’s cultural identity while bringing together audiences through the inspiring power of art.