THE KARAGÖZ & HACİVAT PROJECT
Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London proudly presents the Karagöz & Hacivat project, an initiative dedicated to promoting Turkish culture and fostering connections among students from diverse backgrounds. Through this educational project, we aim to provide an immersive experience where students can learn about traditional Turkish shadow theatre while being entertained. We strongly believe that the peaceful coexistence in our multicultural society relies on the understanding of other cultures and mutual respect.
This project serves as a bridge, allowing young audiences to engage with an important part of Turkish heritage in an interactive and enjoyable way.
WHAT WE OFFER
Karagöz & Hacivat Puppet-Making Workshops (Available in Turkish & English)
- Overview: Children aged 6–12, accompanied by an adult, can participate in hands-on workshops where they craft their own Karagöz & Hacivat puppets. Participants will design, assemble, and animate their creations, gaining insight into the art of traditional Turkish shadow play.
- Instructor: Mengü Türk will guide participants through the process of puppet creation
- Benefits: These workshops enhance creativity, dexterity, and confidence, providing families with an opportunity to bond through a shared cultural activity.
- Details: Each session lasts approximately 2 hours. Most materials are provided by the Institute, and no prior experience is necessary.
- Booking: To host a workshop or inquire about upcoming shows, please contact us at londra@yee.org.tr.
Karagöz & Hacivat Shadow Play (Available in Turkish & English)
- Overview: Experience the enchanting world of Karagöz & Hacivat through live performances available in both Turkish and English. These shows are tailored for audiences of all ages and have been showcased in various venues, including schools, cultural institutions, and museums across the UK.
- Performer: Award-winning theatre actress Mengü Türk, trained at the Bursa Karagöz and Hacivat Museum, brings these characters to life with captivating storytelling and puppetry skills.
- Benefits: These performances provide an engaging introduction to Turkish folklore, enhancing cultural awareness while entertaining audiences with humor and interactive elements. The shows also foster language skills, critical thinking, and appreciation for traditional arts.
- Details: Each performance lasts approximately 40 minutes, featuring authentic shadow puppets, traditional music, and vibrant storytelling. The performances can be adapted for different age groups and settings.
- Booking: To host a performance or inquire about upcoming shows, please contact us at londra@yee.org.tr.
THE IMPACT OF OUR PROJECT
- Since its inception, this project has brought Turkish shadow theatre to a wide audience:
- Recognized by UNESCO in 2009 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- Over 75 performances in both Turkish and English, reaching primary and secondary schools, cultural institutions, and museums across the UK.
- Hosted in various places in the UK including Riverley Primary School, Leighton House Museum, Dr. Fazıl Küçük Turkish School, Cambridge Turkish School, William Patten Primary School, Horizon Romsey Community Centre, TaPS Perspectives 2022 by the ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association), Mountview’s Peckham Open Sessions 2024.
- Continued engagement during the pandemic with online performances.
- Introduced hundreds of students and parents to this rich cultural tradition over the past seven years.
ABOUT THE TRADITIONAL SHADOW PLAY: Karagöz & Hacivat
Shadow plays have a long history of telling stories and entertaining audiences across many cultures. This traditional play of Karagöz & Hacivat was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the Ottoman Empire and was played during the religious month of Ramadan, at festivals, coffee houses and public squares. Founded in the city of Bursa, the showemerged from the witty conversation between a mason, Hacivat, and a blacksmith, Karagöz, who are the main characters of the play. Karagöz represents the morals and common sense of society whereas Hacivat represents the educated, well-mannered, smooth-talking aristocracy. Each character tries to persuade and influence the other in their quest to solve everyday problems. The other characters include Celebi, the charmer; Beberuhi, the dwarf; Zenne, a woman; Mercan, the spice trader. There’s also a doctor, a scrap dealer, a boatman, poets, a handful of licentious women, and a host of other diverse and shady personalities. The play was prevalently played in Istanbul which later spread to other parts of Anatolia by the artists going on tours.
THE TECHNIQUE OF THE SHADOW PLAY
The white screen on which Karagöz is shown on is referred to as the “ayna”, which means “mirror”, implying that the stories reflect aspects of people’s lives. Originally, the screen would measure 2.m by 2.5 m. but now it tends to be 80.cm high and 110 cm. wide. On the inner side, below the screen, there is a wooden ledge that holds cymbals, tambourines, canes, pipes and lamps to illuminate the screen. The characters are between 32 cm. and 40 cm. high and they are generally made from the skin of camel or cows. The leather is treated by a special method to make them translucent and rigid. Then detail is cut into them with sharp, pointed blades called “nevregan”. The designs are painted with Indian ink or root paints. The shadow puppets are made with moving parts and the separate parts are joined together with cord, nylon thread or catgut. Finally rods are added to control the puppets.
SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY : SWING
The Swing is an interactive traditional Turkish Shadow Play which has been fully adapted for children. Hacivat embarks on a new business hiring out a swing to passers-by and convinces Karagöoz to become his less-than-eager business partner. Characters from far and wide give the swing a go but Hacivat, despite his promises to Karagöz, struggles to make a profit. While Celebi, Hacivat’s first customer, enjoys the swing and pays the full fee, Zenne falls down and does not pay a penny. Even a dragon comes from a faraway land to have a go but since he does not have any money he swings for free. Beberuhi, the last customer of the hapless Hacivat, tricks him and enjoys the swing for half of the usual fee.
Check out a snippet of our workshops & shadow play ⬇️
PERFORMER & INSTRUCTOR MENGÜ TÜRK’S BIOGRAPHY
Mengü Türk is a British/Turkish performer. She studied Acting at The Poor School. In 2013 she won the best actress award at Kosova, Shqip International Film Festival. Mengü has been working on voiceover projects and performing in short films, commercials, plays, and corporate projects since 2009. She has previously performed at the Soho Theatre, Arcola Theatre, Hackney Showroom, and Rosemary Theatre. She has also taught drama to people of various ages. In addition to this, she was also the recipient of a unique scholarship by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London and had attended a week-long workshop on Turkish Shadow Play (Karagöz & Hacivat) in Bursa, Türkiye, in April 2018, focusing on the traditional Karagöz & Hacivat shadow play. She has since performed Karagöz & Hacivat in both Turkish and English on behalf of the Institute.
CONTACT US
For more information about our workshops, performances, or to request a hosting form, please reach out to us at londra@yee.org.tr.
Important Notice : Yunus Emre Enstitüsü - London cannot be accounted for any incidents that occur during the show. Host institutions must ensure all necessary health, safety, and security measures are in place.