Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality City Theatre (DBŞT) will organise the 1st Amed Women’s Theatre Days between 5–10 November. The six-day festival will feature women’s plays, talks, and workshops.

Female actors of DBŞT, operating under the Department of Culture and Social Affairs of the Metropolitan Municipality, will organise the 1st Amed Women’s Theatre Days under the slogan Ber bi rojê (Towards the Sun). Nine plays from Ankara, İzmir, İstanbul, Kirkuk, and the Iranian cities of Seqiz and Sanandaj will be staged. The performances, which are free of charge, will take place at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre and Amed City Theatre.

On the opening day, 5 November, the premiere of Ev Yapımı Eylem (Homemade Action), written by Şenay Tanrıvermiş and directed by Elvan Koçer, adapted into Kurdish under the title Çalakîya Malçêkîrî by DBŞT’s female actors, will be staged at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre at 19:30.

On Wednesday, 6 November, at 12:00, Süreyya Karacabey’s talk entitled Jin Li Şanoyê Nê (Women in Theatre) will take place at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre. On the same day at 14:00, there will be a workshop entitled Kargeha Vegotina Çîrokan (Storytelling in Theatre) led by director Berfin Zenderlioğlu. At 19:30, performance artist Filiz Bozkuş Al, recipient of the Özdemir Nutku Theatre Awards 2023/Woman Actor of the Year, will stage her dance performance Gong. In the Gong performance at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre, a story of growth will be told.

Kesal to bring the breath of Forugh Farrokhzad to the stage

On Thursday, 7 November, at 15:00, at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre, Sîmîn Çayçî will deliver a talk entitled Girnîngîya şanoyê di Jiyana Jinan de û bandorên wê yên erênî yên li ser ramanê û civakê (The Importance of Theatre in Women’s Lives and Its Influence on Society and Thought). At the same venue at 19:30, Nazan Kesal will perform the one-woman play Yaralarım Aşktandır (My Wounds are from Love), portraying Iran’s powerful female poet Forugh Farrokhzad. Written by Şebnem İşigüzel and directed by Berfin Zenderlioğlu, the play will bring the rebellious voice of Iranian poetry, Forugh Farrokhzad, to the theatre stage.

On Friday, 8 November, Aysel Yıldırım from the Boğaziçi Performing Arts Ensemble (BGST) will take the stage with the one-woman play Bir Kadın Yanıyor (A Woman is Burning), written and directed by Sevilay Saral. The play will be performed at 15:00 at Amed City Theatre.

On the same day, at 19:30, Temok (Fog), directed by Perwîz Ehmedî, will be staged at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre.

‘Our word is not yet finished’

On Saturday, 9 November, at 12:00, Pelda Bal Demir will give a talk entitled Di Şanoya Kurdî de Jin (Women in Kurdish Theatre) at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre. On the same day at 15:00, the play Hin Ji Gotina Me Neqedîyaye (Our Word is Not Yet Finished), brought from Sanandaj, will be performed. At 19:30, BGST’s two-act play Sevgi Soysal Insists on Living will be staged.

On the final day of the programme, Sunday, 10 November, the play Salma from Kirkuk will be performed at 15:00 at Amed City Theatre, and at 19:30, the Kurdish play Mêdêa from Ankara will be staged at the Çand Amed Culture and Congress Centre.