This year, as every year, Istanbul enters autumn with a full calendar of culture and arts. In addition to the Theater Festival, the stages that open their curtains stage their new plays and melodies are spread all over the city with concerts. We have compiled Istanbul’s October event calendar for Saatolog readers.
Theaters
Aşık Shakespeare – Zorlu PSM
Focusing on William Shakespeare’s youth in 16th century England, trying to prove himself with his new play, and a young woman’s struggle to take the stage in the world of men, Aşık Shakespeare is presented from a contemporary perspective under the direction of Serdar Biliş. The theatre, starring Nezaket Erden and Uraz Kaygılaroğlu, will be staged with a cast of 35 people including actors, dancers and musicians.
Kel Diva – Oyun Atölyesi
French playwright Eugène Ionesco’s absurd play Kel Diva brings the living room of a traditional London couple to the stage. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with their last remaining traces of Englishness, will host Mr. and Mrs. Martin in their home. Zuhal Olcay and Haluk Bilginer share the leading roles in Kel Diva, which progresses with the inclusion of the Smiths’ maid in this guesting. The cast of the play, directed by Muharrem Özcan, includes names such as Yiğit Özşener and Özlem Zeynep Dinsel.
Evlilikten Sahneler – Zorlu PSM
Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s famous film Evlilikten Sahneler deals with concepts such as family, affection and romance through the story of a happy couple with two children who are about to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. Kayhan Berkin is the director of the play, starring Ece Dizdar and Öner Erkan.
Bringing a new interpretation to Sam Shepard’s play “True West”, “Crickets, Dogs and Us” is staged under the direction of Mert Öner. The play starring Buğra Gürsoy and Serhat Teoman; It tells the story of two brothers, one of whom is a city dweller and a screenwriter, and the other is a free-spirited thief who takes refuge in the forests. The play, which tells the story of two brothers discovering and transforming into each other, examines the dualities of life through two siblings.
Selmin Zeki Hanım: Hasta Adamın Kızı – Moda Sahnesi
Moda Sahnesi’s new play, “Selmin Zeki Hanım: The Sick Man’s Daughter”, takes place in the outbuilding of a mansion in Istanbul in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. Yeliz Kuvancı will play the character of Selmin Hanım in the play, which reflects the political agenda of the last years of the empire on the family and male-female relations in daily life. The script of the play, directed by Onur Ünsal, belongs to Mürüvet Esra Yıldırım.
Uraz Kıvaner, one of the successful pianists of jazz music, and Chet Baker, one of the great trumpeters of jazz history, will take the stage at Zorlu PSM in October with the Chet Baker Project, which is a re-arrangement of their popular works.
David Garrett – Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Stage
David Garrett, known as the child prodigy of world music, will perform at Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theater on October 18 as part of his “ICONIC TOUR 2023” tour. Garrett, who reinterpreted the works of the great musicians of the 20th century in his album “Iconic”, will bring his performances from the album to his fans in Istanbul.
Marcus Miller – Volkswagen Arena
Grammy award-winning musician Marcus Miller, who came to Turkey after six years, is getting ready to meet his Istanbul fans at Volkswagen Arena on October 31. Trumpet virtuoso Russell Gunn, drummer David Chiverton, saxophone virtuoso Donald Hayes and keyboardist Julian Pollack will share the stage with Miller.
Chris de Burgh – Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center
World-famous musician Chris de Burgh, who has won over 200 awards to date, will meet music lovers in Istanbul on October 26. The artist, who will take the stage at Lütfi Kırdar International Congress and Exhibition Center, will sing his cult songs from past to present.
Oktoberfest – YapıKredi Bomontiada
Oktoberfest, one of Germany’s most famous festivals, will be held at YapıKredi Bomontiada between 6-8 October. At Oktoberfest, hosted by The Populist, tasting activities and various workshops will be held throughout the day.
Istanbul Cocktail Festival – KüçükÇiftlik Park
Istanbul Cocktail Festival will be held at KüçükÇiftlik Park for the second time on October 7-8. At the festival, where the city’s favorite venues will open pop-up bars, tasting events will be held with cocktails prepared by expert mixologists, and various workshops will also be held. Names such as Athena, Seda Erciyes and Kazy Lambist will perform during the festival.
Exhibitions
“Memories of the Future” and “From the Right Place: The History of the Panoramic View of Istanbul” – Pera Museum
Pera Museum brings together two new exhibitions with art lovers in October: “Memories of the Future” and “From the Right Place: The History of the Panoramic View of Istanbul”. “Future Memories” focuses on memories with the help of objects. The museum’s other exhibition, “From the Right Place: The History of the Panoramic View of Istanbul”, deals with the history of representation of Istanbul through panoramic paintings and photographs. Both exhibitions will meet art lovers starting from October 26.
“85 Screams: After Munch” – Dirimart
Conceptual artist and painter Sarkis Zabunyan’s personal exhibition “85 Screams: After Munch” will meet the audience at Dirimart Dolapdere until October 15. The exhibition is based on the exhibition “100 Screams: After Munch”, produced by Sarkis between November 2014 and January 2015. The series, based on the figure in the painting “The Scream”, which the artist encountered in a newspaper piece in his childhood and which has been echoed in many of his works for years, consists of 100 oil paintings on paper.
“A Painter in the Magic of Time and Space: Şevket Dağ” – Bozlu Art Project
All the works of Ĺževket DaÄź, one of the leading names in the art history of the Ottoman and Republican periods, are exhibited collectively for the first time in Istanbul at Bozlu Art Project. 65 works of the artist, various objects belonging to him, archive documents and photographs were brought together in the exhibition. The exhibition can be visited at Bozlu Art Project Mongeri Building until November 25.
In Pursuit of an Ideal: Atatürk and Alaca Höyük” – Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publishing
“In Pursuit of an Ideal: Atatürk and Alacak Höyük”, specially prepared by Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publishing for the 100th anniversary of the Republic, will meet the audience starting from October 13. The exhibition brings together for the first time the works of Alaca Höyük, which was initiated in Çorum by Remzi Oğuz Arık, the first archaeologist of the Republic of Turkey, and Hamit Zübeyr Koşay, the first archaeologist of the Republic of Turkey, and Hamit Zübeyr Koşay, in 1935, upon the directive of Atatürk, and is the first scientific excavation of the Republic to be represented internationally.
