The nominees and special award recipients for the 28th Yapı Kredi Afife Theater Awards have been announced, celebrating creative excellence and stage performance in Turkish theater.
The awards ceremony will take place on May 7 at the Haliç Congress Center.
This year’s Muhsin Ertuğrul Special Award, presented to distinguished figures in theater, will be given to Şahika Tekand. The Cevat Fehmi Başkut Special Award, dedicated to playwrights, will go to Aslı Ceren Bozatlı for her play “Lucy.”
The Haldun Dormen Special Award, presented to productions in the comedy or musical category, has been awarded to Tiyatrokare for “Konken Partisi.” The Yapı Kredi Special Award will be presented to Professor Merih Tangün.
A newly introduced Afife Honor Award, to be given to individuals who have won the Yapı Kredi Afife Theater Awards at least five times in the same category, will be presented to Yakup Çartık.
In addition to the awards, Yapı Kredi supports theater education through a scholarship fund established in cooperation with the Turkish Education Volunteers Foundation (TEGV). This year, 19 undergraduate students received scholarships aimed at supporting young artists and contributing to the sustainability of theater.
With the support of the awards, TEGV has also implemented a “Street Theaters” project focusing on children’s rights. The project staged performances in Ankara, Gaziantep, Kocaeli and Van, aiming to raise awareness and encourage children to express themselves through art.
Nominees for Best Play include “Lucy,” “Gaybubet Şehri,” “İlk Bakışta Prima Facie,” “Uyku, Ölüm, Dondurma, Ülke” and “En Sevdiğinden Başla.”
Nominees for Best Director are Arzu Gamze Kılınç, Barış Ayas, Gamze Güzel, Tanıl Yöntem, Serin Öztoprak and Yelda Baskın.
Best Actress nominees are Başak Daşman, Nergis Öztürk, Nezaket Erden, Rabia Zehra Şafak and Sezgin Uzunbekiroğlu, while Best Actor nominees include Atakan Akarsu, Barış Yıldız, Kürşat Demir, Semih Ertürk and Tolga İskit.
Nominees for Best Supporting Actress are Ayşegül Erkutay, Ece Kazımoğlu, Ezgi Oltes, Pınar Yıldırım and Refiye Genç Çoldur, while Best Supporting Actor nominees are Atlas Karan Tumluer, Hakan Kargidanoğlu, Kağan Şenbaş, Sefa Tantoğlu and Tanıl Yöntem.
