Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality City Theatre (DBŞT) will hold the 2nd Travelling Children’s Theatre Days between 20–25 June.

The Department of Culture and Social Affairs will launch the second Travelling Children’s Theatre Days on 20 June, organised for children in rural districts and neighbourhoods who face difficulties in accessing cultural and artistic events.

The first edition was held in 2019 but was discontinued following the appointment of trustees. Within the scope of the Travelling Children’s Theatre Days, three jugglers (circus artists) from Istanbul, Van and Diyarbakır, along with six theatre groups, will meet children with plays performed in the Kurmancî and Kirmanckî dialects of Kurdish.

During the Theatre Days, Amed City Theatre, ŞanoWan, Children’s Art Centre, Tiyatroba, Gölge Sahne, and Nisk Huner will stage their plays Mirza û Keybanu, Vewremerdim, Nisko, Daristana me, Hirço û Mozmozik, and Sê Ezezok.

Theatre plays to be staged in 13 districts

The event will open on 20 June at 20:00 in Sümerpark with performances by juggling groups Mordem Sanat, Mavi Mask, and Social Play on the Street (SOS). The Theatre Days will then continue for five days across the districts of Eğil, Lice, Kocaköy, Dicle, Kulp, Çermik, Çüngüş, Bismil, Çınar, Hani, Ergani, Hazro, and Silvan. Theatre plays will be staged every day at 19:00 in parks across three different districts.

‘We wanted to ensure children’s access to theatre plays’

Providing information on the matter, DBŞT actor Özcan Ateş underlined that it is very valuable for children to watch plays in their mother tongue, saying:

“Children living in the districts face certain disadvantages in accessing events. Many of these children may be encountering a play for the very first time. For this reason, we preferred to stage the theatre plays in the districts rather than in the city centre, so that children could have the opportunity to attend.”