New season at State Theaters

ISTANBUL

The State Theaters will stage many new plays in the 2014-2015 season.

The Turkish State Theaters (DT) opened the 2014-2015 season on Oct. 1, with a goal of reaching 2 million viewers by the end of the season. Most of this season’s works will be staged for the first time. Theater lovers will also have the chance to see renowned works by Tarık Buğra, Reşat Nuri Güntekin, Moliere and Arthur Miller.

DT General Director Mustafa Kurt said the organization would also feature new script-writers and new plays.

Kurt said 152 plays were staged during the last season, drawing 1.8 million people, around 60,000 more than in the previous year. He said 70 percent of last season’s plays were local, and that DT would also focus on Turkish theater in the new season.

“We will present new Turkish plays that have never been staged before or were staged many years ago,” Kurt said. Among the first-time plays presented will be “Neşe, Dert, Aşk” (Joy, Trouble, Love), focusing on the life of famous Turkish folk poet Neşet Ertaş. Kurt said this special project carried great importance.

“We know that everyone loves Ertaş. This is why we want to form a good team and stage the play everywhere. He is our international value,” he said.