Visually impaired woman triumphs in NY theater

NEW YORK

After defying the odds to top Türkiye’s rigorous high school entrance exam, visually impaired student Dolunay Kocabağ has carved out a brilliant second act abroad by making a name for herself on the theater stage.

Kocabağ, who was born with a 92 percent visual impairment, successfully triumphed over this obstacle, building an exceptionally distinguished academic track record. In 2012, she emerged as the national
champion in the highly competitive high school entrance examination.

This stellar achievement earned her admission to the prestigious Robert College in Istanbul. Upon graduating from high school, she secured a full scholarship to York University in Canada.

However, her deep-seated passion for acting steered her toward an entirely different trajectory. Kocabağ now performs on theater stages in New York under the stage name “Luna Vincert.”

Having recently starred in the premiere of “A Night of Chekhov,” Kocabağ portrayed
three distinct characters as the lead actor across three separate short plays.

“Last year, I completed my acting training in the United States. This pivot in my life was essentially the outward expression of a profound, internal calling. I pursued that intuition, and it ultimately led me to
the New York stage,” Kocabağ told daily Hürriyet in an exclusive interview.

“I am incredibly fulfilled by this choice. I firmly believe that success is a gradual process. By establishing clear priorities and tapping into my inner motivation and strength, I progress step by step,” she expressed.

Elaborating on the specific challenges posed by her visual impairment, Kocabağ explained, “Due to a 92 percent loss of vision, I can only perceive large, vibrant and illuminated objects in close proximity.”

“For instance, while I can easily discern white lettering against a red background, I am completely unable to read it if the text is printed in black on red.”

“When you are an individual with a disability, people tend to approach you with either pity or admiration; there is rarely any middle ground. This polarizing attitude places an
unfair, additional burden of responsibility on individuals like me,” she said.