(Re)considering Turkish Theatre in the Republic’s Centenary
The Struggle of the Modern Armenian Theatre for Existence on the Threshold of the Centenary
This study aims to provide an overview of the Republican Era theatre practises of Armenians who were the founders of the modern theatre in the Ottoman Empire by means of schools and alumni associations. The Ottoman Armenians laid the foundation of the modern theatre through the theatre practises in educational institutions. The young Armenian schoolers carried out the theatre experiences that they gained from institutions to the public sphere and professionalised in the Ottoman Empire. They formed a basis not only for Armenian theatre but also for the establishment of Turkish theatre. Especially beginning from the second half of the 19th century, a theatre ground that Armenians and Muslim/Turks were in interaction with came into existence. However, the visibility of Armenians in theatre throughout the transition from the empire to the nation-state drastically decreased. Nevertheless, they struggled to maintain their theatre traditions in the alumni associations established within the Armenian schools. Throughout its historical trajectory, this study seeks to illustrate the challenges faced by Armenian theatre in maintaining its presence amidst the ongoing debates surrounding the national theatre and the efforts to establish a modern theatrical tradition in Turkish. In doing so, it aims to centre on the incremental process of the “created absence” of the Armenian theatre artists and workers on stage and within the theatre historiography in Türkiye. It argues that the historical narrative of the nationalist theatre affords room for various forms of domination and violence, as figured in the act of erasure, expungement and denial.
