If you are traveling to Turkey this June, begin your summer with the Bergama Theater Festival, June 2–5, 2022.
A famous Swiss sculptor of the 20th century, Alberto Giacometti, once described art with these words:
The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.
Perhaps, he meant that one’s thoughts can be strong enough to produce a new, realistic vision of something that has not existed before. In theater, this can be reached by playing on the stage or watching a performance from the auditorium. For those who crave the second option, the Bergama Theater Festival is definitely a very entertaining event.
Table of Contents
History
Initially, the Bergama Theater Festival was aiming to create a new experience sphere, where the workers of the art industry from Turkey and abroad could present their works, meet, and share opinions on different current topics. Participants of the Bergama Theater Festival attend the event in order to make connections. Each year, a team representing Bergama and teams from abroad meet to strengthen relationships between each other.
Due to the two-year break, this year marks the third time the Bergama Theater Festival has been organized. In 2021 and 2022, the focus of the event is put on four prior components or creation processes.
Fundamentals
The Bergama Theater Festival stands on four pillars. These are the primary focuses of the organizers.
Localization serves to establish connections between organizers and local artists.
The Participation of Children and Young People in Arts and Culture focuses on the audience or potential future team who are interested in art today and can contribute to art in the future.
Accessibility of Social and Cultural Life wants to create an art industry that is available to everyone on equal terms.
Sectoralizaton supports the growth of potential in up-and-coming artists who aim to become professionals any time soon.
The program of the festival
Each of the four days of the event has a very rich program that will definitely satisfy one’s needs. Of course, there are too many events to list, and all of them are different, so we will point out the most interesting events of each day.
Thursday
On Thursday, you can choose to visit a range of staged plays. Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the kitchen, or a one-actor play about loneliness are only some of the plays to be performed on Thursday. You can also entertain yourself by watching a pantomime or a brand new music concert in Asklepion.
Friday
This workshop is devoted to the main architectural characters of modern comedy. You will try to perform in a given genre, and learn to act. It’s a lot of joy! One other thing to do is listen to the historical narrative of the city and learn about its main sights!
Saturday
Train your body and mind in Hatha Yoga classes and find your inner peace. Or, if you want, give the sculpture workshop a try.
Sunday
One outstanding part of Sunday’s schedule is a special walking experience. Join an hour and a half tour around the first cinema in Bergama, which was opened in 1925. You may also attend a new performance project by the famous Acik Studio. It studies the golden mean of everything, for example, creative and administrative management, personal experience, and the subjective artistic view of something.
On your way from Bergama
If the Bergama Theater Festival did not give you enough theatrical experience, we have a great solution for you. Visit Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, to experience the Whirling Dervishes. Right after arriving at Hodjapasha Culture Center, you will immediately feel immersed in the mystic world of symbolism and dance. The show is not limited to dances: you watch the Circling of Veled and its mystical dances, which symbolize resurrection from the grave and finding spiritual freedom.
You can find more routes to go on our website. Just make sure you stay in Bergama and Turkey longer than the festival lasts, in order to immerse yourself in the local culture.
