Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) with the sponsorship of Koç Holding Energy Group Companies Aygaz, Opet and Tüpraş between 14 November and 1 December with an online programme extending until 28 December, the 24th Istanbul Theatre Festival came to an end.
14 physical and 11 online productions were staged at the festival, which met with audiences both on stage and on the festival's online platform online.iksv.org with a hybrid programme.
More than 13.000 people streamed the shows on online.iksv.org, while close to 2500 people attended the physical performances of the festival.
The opening ceremony of the festival reached 10,000 people online
The opening ceremony of the 24th Istanbul Theater Festival took place online due to the pandemic. The ceremony, which was published on the festival's website and social media accounts on Saturday, 14 November, started with the opening speech of İKSV Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı. Following the speeches of Yağız Eyüboğlu, Chairman of Koç Holding Energy Group and Leman Yılmaz, Director of the Istanbul Theatre Festival, this year's festival award recipients were introduced. Honorary Awards were presented to dancer and choreographer Geyvan McMillen, director Işıl Kasapoğlu, and director Ivo van Hove.
Festival opened with Diagonale Ascendante
The 24th Istanbul Theater Festival started with the opening show Diagonale Ascendante, which took place at Yapı Kredi bomontiada on Saturday, 14 November. In the project realised by the French ensemble Retouramont with the choreography of Fabrice Guillot, dancers Nathalie Tedesco and Fanny Gombert's public performance on the exterior of YapıKredi bomontiada was held free of charge thanks to the kind contribution of Institut Français, and repeated on 15 November with two other iterations.
Festival hosted premieres of 18 local productions
This year, the festival opened up a wider platform to local companies that were adversely affected by the pandemic. Festival’s Local Productions Performance Sponsor ENKA Foundation supported 20 local productions staged in physical venues and online platform. Another local performance of the festival, Dumrul and the Grim Reaper, met with the audience with Tekfen Holding's Special Performance Sponsorship.
Festival met the audiences on stage and screens
Physical performances of the festival took place under Covid-19 measures in various venues in Istanbul such as DasDas, Fişekhane, Moda Stage, Zorlu PSM, Yapı Kredi bomontiada, Caddebostan Kültür Merkezi and Surp Vortvos Vorodman Church. The online performances were available for streaming on online.iksv.org for audiences to enjoy on their screens.
Online Learning and Training Programme on YouTube
5.000 people streamed the panels, workshops, conversations and readers’ theatres held within the scope of the festival's Learning and Training Programme on YouTube, free-of-charge. Click to watch the online talk “The Future of Dance Educatıon in Universities”, held in English.
