The Treasures of Our Theatre
November 27, 2025 – January 31, 2026
Opening: Thursday, November 27, 18:30
The Theatre Foundation of Turkey (TTV) presents a special exhibition to visitors, tracing the history of theatre in Turkey. The archival exhibition, The Treasures of Our Theatre, initiated by TTV with support from the Support Foundation for Civil Society and Türkiye Mozaik Foundation, will be on view at Depo from November 27, 2025 to January 31, 2026. Curated by Esen Çamurdan, founding chair of TTV, with Aylin Erkan and Ceren Uyan as assistant curators, and exhibition design by Sera Dink, the show reveals that theatre can live not only on stage, but also in memories, documents, and narratives carried from the past into the present.
The exhibition, with its carefully selected materials from the TTV archives, offers a remarkable diversity—from registry books to personal notes, payrolls to internal correspondences, letters to photographs, books to magazines, stage designs to posters and cartoons, and from play texts to working notes. The exhibition brings together materials belonging to theatre artists such as Genco Erkal, Ergun Köknar, Behzat Butak, and Ümit Denizer; to theatre groups such as Genç Oyuncular and AÇOK; as well as to landmark plays that left their mark on their time. Numerous stories, unexpected archival documents, and visual materials await visitors. In addition, the Oral History section—comprising interviews that deepen Turkey’s theatre memory—and Talking Photographs—a special feature developed by TTV—offer a living archival experience through audio-visual elements.
The exhibition will be accompanied by five talks, whose dates will be announced soon and which will offer new perspectives on our theatre memory: Performing with Genco Is a Privilege, where artists who shared the stage with Genco Erkal for many years will reflect on their experiences; Collecting Theatre, focusing on the permanence of theatre through collectors’ eye; We Need a Theatre Museum, a phrase that has now become the slogan of TTV; When One’s Mother Is Suna Pekuysal and One’s Father Is Ergün Köknar… where Saitali Köknar will share memories of his parents; and One Day While We Were on Tour… which will crown the exhibition with memories from tours, an indispensable part of theatre.
The Treasures of Our Theatre aims to bring the theater’s memory to life with documents, some of which will be revealed for the first time, and to convey the theater’s history and spirit from the past to present day audience. It aims to remind visitors of what we could lose if we fail to preserve our theater’s valuable heritage.
The Treasures of Our Theatre
November 27, 2025 – January 31, 2026
Opening: Thursday, November 27, 18:30
The Theatre Foundation of Turkey (TTV) presents a special exhibition to visitors, tracing the history of theatre in Turkey. The archival exhibition, The Treasures of Our Theatre, initiated by TTV with support from the Support Foundation for Civil Society and Türkiye Mozaik Foundation, will be on view at Depo from November 27, 2025 to January 31, 2026. Curated by Esen Çamurdan, founding chair of TTV, with Aylin Erkan and Ceren Uyan as assistant curators, and exhibition design by Sera Dink, the show reveals that theatre can live not only on stage, but also in memories, documents, and narratives carried from the past into the present.
The exhibition, with its carefully selected materials from the TTV archives, offers a remarkable diversity—from registry books to personal notes, payrolls to internal correspondences, letters to photographs, books to magazines, stage designs to posters and cartoons, and from play texts to working notes. The exhibition brings together materials belonging to theatre artists such as Genco Erkal, Ergun Köknar, Behzat Butak, and Ümit Denizer; to theatre groups such as Genç Oyuncular and AÇOK; as well as to landmark plays that left their mark on their time. Numerous stories, unexpected archival documents, and visual materials await visitors. In addition, the Oral History section—comprising interviews that deepen Turkey’s theatre memory—and Talking Photographs—a special feature developed by TTV—offer a living archival experience through audio-visual elements.
The exhibition will be accompanied by five talks, whose dates will be announced soon and which will offer new perspectives on our theatre memory: Performing with Genco Is a Privilege, where artists who shared the stage with Genco Erkal for many years will reflect on their experiences; Collecting Theatre, focusing on the permanence of theatre through collectors’ eye; We Need a Theatre Museum, a phrase that has now become the slogan of TTV; When One’s Mother Is Suna Pekuysal and One’s Father Is Ergün Köknar… where Saitali Köknar will share memories of his parents; and One Day While We Were on Tour… which will crown the exhibition with memories from tours, an indispensable part of theatre.
The Treasures of Our Theatre aims to bring the theater’s memory to life with documents, some of which will be revealed for the first time, and to convey the theater’s history and spirit from the past to present day audience. It aims to remind visitors of what we could lose if we fail to preserve our theater’s valuable heritage.
