Gentleman of the stage: Haldun Dormen

ISTANBUL

Master actor, director, educator and playwright Haldun Dormen, one of the most influential figures in modern Turkish theater, has died at the age of 97 at a hospital in Istanbul where he was receiving treatment.

A pioneering name in introducing Western-style theater and musical productions to Türkiye, Dormen left an indelible mark on the country’s performing arts scene. He was born on April 5, 1928, in the southern province of Mersin, the son of Cypriot businessman Sait Ömer Bey and Nimet Rüştü Hanım, the daughter of an Istanbul-based pasha.

Dormen moved to Istanbul at an early age and completed his high school education at Robert College. His interest in theater began young, leading him to pursue graduate studies at Yale University in the United States. After gaining experience in Hollywood and New York, he returned to Türkiye and stepped onto the stage at the invitation of Muhsin Ertuğrul with the play “Cinayet Var.”

The Dormen Theater, which he founded in 1955, became a turning point in Turkish theater history. As the founder of the “pocket theater” tradition, Dormen discovered and nurtured talents such as Metin Serezli, Nisa Serezli, Erol Günaydın and Füsun Erbulak, creating what came to be known as the Dormen School of theater.

His 1961 staging of the musical “Sokak Kızı Irma” went down in history as Türkiye’s first Western-style musical. Through productions such as “Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası,” “Şen Sazın Bülbülleri” and “Lüküs Hayat,” Dormen helped bring musical theater to a broad audience.

In cinema, Dormen directed films including “Bozuk Düzen” and “Güzel Bir Gün İçin.” “Bozuk Düzen” won Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Müşfik Kenter) awards at the 1966 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. His film “Güzel Bir Gün İçin” received Best Comedy Film, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Erol Günaydın) awards at the festival the following year.

Awarded the title of State Artist in 1998, Dormen was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 51st Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in 2014. He shared his memories and experiences with future generations through his books “Sürç-ü Lisan Ettikse,” “Antrakt” and “İkinci Perde.”

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Dormen once said theater required passion and perseverance. “This work cannot be done without passion. You need determination. There should be no despair,” he said, adding that artists must tell themselves, “You can do it.”

Recalling an experience from his university years in the U.S., Dormen spoke about overcoming a childhood injury that left him with a limp. A comment from a teacher at Yale made him realize he could still perform on stage. “From that day on, it didn’t matter to me,” he said. “I returned to Türkiye and played hundreds of roles.”

Explaining how Dormen Theater was founded, he emphasized its collective spirit. “It was never Haldun Dormen Theater; it was our theater,” he said, recalling tours across Anatolia and the enthusiastic reception they received. He famously remembered an early tour of “Sokak Kızı Irma” in Gaziantep: “When we left the theater, they lifted my car into the air. They liked it that much.”

Dormen had been receiving treatment at a private hospital following a recent infection and died on Jan. 22.

Some of Haldun Dormen’s most notable theater plays and musicals include “Papaz Kaçtı,” “Kamp 17,” “Zafer Madalyası,” “Cengiz Han’ın Bisikleti,” “Sokak Kızı Irma,” “Şahane Züğürtler,” “Oliver!,” “Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası,” “Şen Sazın Bülbülleri,” “Lüküs Hayat,” “Kaç Baba Kaç,” “Bir Kış Masalı,” “Kantocu” and “Kibarlık Budalası.”