JURY

JURY

  • Prof. Dr. Nihal Kuyumcu In 1994, she completed her master's degree and in 1998 her doctorate in Istanbul University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Theater Criticism and Dramaturgy. She worked as a lecturer at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Hasan Ali Yücel Faculty of Education, Department of Basic Education and retired from the same department. She has various publications such as articles and books in the field of theater.

  • Erdoğan Mitrani was born in Istanbul in 1941. Primary school Şişli Terakki High School, secondary and high school St. Michel French High School. Undergraduate and graduate studies at Istanbul Technical University Civil Engineering Faculty. Discovering an ability to easily transfer his knowledge, he started a teaching career. For five years, he directed “Reading Movies” cinema workshops at Bilgi University Bilgi Education Department. From 2006 to 2010 he taught Applied History of Cinema and Film Analysis courses on both World and Turkish Cinema at Plato Film School. In the last years of the school, in addition to teaching he also undertook the Educational Coordination Management. Since 2009, he has returned to his other passionate love affair and started writing reviews on theatre and visual art performances at the weekly newspaper Şalom. He has approximately reviewed 1000 performances until today. His articles are on Şalom website and Mimesis Sahne Sanatları Portal. Being an honorary member of the Turkish Theatre Critics association TEB, since 2003he became the only Turkish critic being an active memeber of both cinema and theatre critics’ associations. He is also a member of the TEB jury.

  • Tijen Savaşkan (1961, Ankara) graduated from the Department of Western Languages and Literature at Boğaziçi University in 1984 and completed her master's degree in the Theoretical Theater program at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Department of Stage Decoration and Costume, and during this period she worked as an English lecturer at Istanbul Technical University. In 1994, Savaşkan received an M.A degree in Gender and Feminist Theater from the University Of Reading / Film and Drama Department in England and continued her career in various fields of theater: Gender and theater, feminist criticism, creative drama leadership, women's studies, children and youth theater, space studies, interdisciplinary art projects and cultural studies, contemporary art / performance art. 2003-2007 with the International Leleg Institute (Bodrum) focusing on live art, space and women, 2006 Antakya Contemporary Art Meetings, 2006-2008 as a dramaturg and artist with an international performance group called Mos-ai-que in the triangle of Marseille, Lisbon, Istanbul, as well as forum theater works with women, workers, high school and university students and local people on different dates, Savaşkan has directed youth plays at Ekol Drama Art House, Ihlamur Pavilion, Robert High School and many schools. -Savaşkan, who has been writing criticism and review articles under the title "Feminist Perspective" in Tiyatro Tiyatro Magazine since 1998, has been the editor and writer of TEB Oyun Magazine, a publication of the Theater Critics Association, since 2009. Savaşkan, who occasionally writes for Mimesis Magazine, is a member of Sadri Alışık Theater and TEB Jury. In addition, she continues culture and art projects, forum theater and gender awareness trainings with young people at ÇYDD Beyoğlu Branch. Recently, she has been working with some colleagues in the field of collective criticism in the context of gender and feminist theater.

  • Handan Salta (PhD) former academic and a current critic, translator and writer. She worked as the Vice President of Turkish Theatre Critics Association. As well as several different texts, she translated many plays from English to Turkish and vice versa. After having worked in different universities she is now developing independent projects in various areas of performance including translation, text development, creative writing, children’s theatre, podcast series etc. She is the co-founder of Kritik Kolektif, an initiative to create collective productions on theatre criticism; the first book of the collective was published in 2022. She co-founded TheatreIST, another collective to make the voices of independent theatres in Istanbul heard internationally. TheatreIST made its first Showcase in 2022 and started a translation project with Slovakian-Turkish playwrights right after the showcase and initiated other translation projects from Turkish to other languages . Another one on the way is an international performance project revolving around the issue of immigrants including immigrant actors from different backgrounds, ethnicities and languages.

  • Oznur Ogra Colak, graduated from Istanbul Academy Communication Journalism Department. I graduated from Pera Fine Arts Conservatory, Theater Acting Department. I studied Singing and Acting at Istanbul Technical University Continuing Education Center and Acting at Bakırköy Artists Association. I made a guest appearance at Bakırköy Municipal Theaters. After interning as a reporter for two months at Milliyet Newspaper Culture and Arts Service, I started working at Cumhuriyet Newspaper's intelligence service in February 2003. I have been the editor of Culture and Arts Pages since 2005. I am a member of the Culture and Arts Commission of the Turkish Journalists Association and I am on the selection committee of the Journalism Achievement Awards given in the field of journalism. I am a member of the International Theater Critics Association.

  • Hasibe Kalkan (Prof. Dr.) is an academic who heads the Department for Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy of Istanbul University. She teaches Theatre Criticism, Stages Analyzes, Contemporary Theatre and Dramaturgy. Her PhD was about Documentary Theatre in Turkey, and she wrote books about Theatre Semiotics and Post Migrant Theater in Berlin. Her last articles dealt with the influence of the Rockefeller Foundation on Turkish theatre and theatre studies, as well as the development of theatre criticism in Turkey based on individual biographies. In 2022 she co-founded TheatreIST, to make the voices of independent theatres in Istanbul heard internationally. In the same year, she became the president of the Turkisch section of the International Association of Theater Critics, which also awards prizes annually in various theatre categories.

  • Sündüz Haşar, Born in Akşehir. Graduated from Ankara Univercity, Faculty of Political Sciences, Deparmant of Communication Sciences. Completed master’s degree at Marmara University and doctoral studies at Kocaeli University. Her master’s thesis examined the institutional structure of the theater in Turkey in the “Restructuring Efforts of State Theaters.” She conducted his doctoral research on “Creative Social Movements/Creative Resistance” examining the relationship between art, power and the street. Worked State Theatres between 1982-2003, Kocaeli Municipality Theatres between 2003-2013 and Kenter Theatre between 2004-2008. Contributed as a dramaturge and assistant director in numerous plays. Continues to provide screenplay consultancy, screenplay and playwriting courses and works as a dramaturge in various productions. Has been a faculty member at Istanbul Aydin University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Drama and Acting since the 2008-2009 academic year, teaching courses such as “Dramaturgy”, “Turkish Theatre”, “Contemporary Theatre”, History of Culture”, “Mythology”, “Theatre Management” and “Research Techniques”

  • Senem Cevher, Born in 1982 in Izmir, Turkey. She was educated at Izmir Municipality Theatre and Izmir Youth Theatre when she was in high school. She studied at Yeditepe University Fine Arts Faculty Theatre Acting Department in 2005. After graduation, she worked at Amsterdam Theatre Rast, Istanbul Tiyatro Oyunevi, Ahsap Cerceve Puppet Theatre, Nilufer Municipality Theatre, Istanbul National Theatre, and Bursa National Theatre. In 2011, she graduated from Bahcesehir University Acting Department Master Degree Programme and worked for Bahcesehir University as a lecturer. And also she studied at 9 Eylul University Fine Arts Faculty Theatre Department Ph.D. Program and Sofia National Academy Theatre Film Arts Theatre Directing Department. She translated Jeton Neziraj, Edward Bond, Simona Semevic, Lia Karavia, Stefan Capaliku, Ilir Gjocaj, Neda Nejdana, Olexander Viter, Cevdet Bajraj, Konstantin Iliev, Thornton Wilder, Visar Krusha, Tino Caspanello’s texts from English to Turkish. She founded Bahcesehir University Conservatory Performing Arts Department and she works since 2020 as an Association Professor at this department.