On the Pursuit of Art: Ankara State Theatres

Ankara is one of our cities that stands out with its cultural and artistic activities. With state theaters, operas, ballets, concerts of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, and exhibitions, the period from autumn to summer is very fruitful for the people of Ankara in terms of art. There is so much demand for these events that a timer is set to buy tickets and people race against time to get these tickets, which will sell out within ten minutes of going on sale.

In this article where we will introduce the theater stages where the theater plays we all love are performed, we will have the opportunity to go back to the years when the state theaters in Ankara were just starting and catch beautiful stories.

History of Ankara State Theaters

The first state conservatory in our country was opened in Ankara. The State Conservatory, whose departments were decided upon upon the observations of experts brought from abroad, graduated its students in the field of theater in 1941. Thereupon, the graduates started to perform plays in various places and on Ankara Radio. In 1947, II. A stage was created in the basement of Evkaf Apartment and the foundations of the Small Theater were laid under the name of Tatbikat Sahnesi. By the end of the year, 276 plays had been performed at Tatbikat Sahnesi and the number of viewers for these plays had reached 116,447. The first play performed was Ahmet Kutsi Tecer’s play “Köşebaşı”.

In 1949, Tatbikat Sahnesi was incorporated into the State Theaters under the name of Küçük Tiyatro. On June 10, 1949, the State Theater was officially established under the name of “State Theater and Opera” under the Ministry of National Education. With Muhsin Ertuğrul as the general manager, the State Theaters began performances with the Small Theater and Büyük Tiyatro stages. While the Büyük Tiyatro performed its first performance with Goethe’s “Faust”, the first play performed at the Küçük Tiyatro was Cevat Fahmi Başkut’s “Küçük Şehir”.

After the State Theaters were established in Ankara, they started to open up to other cities and the Ankara State Theater took its name in this way.

Small Theater

The II. Evkaf Apartment, built by Architect Kemaleddin and serving as a suitable lodging for civil servants, was completed and began its duties in 1930. In 1937, the conservatory department was opened at Ankara University and its first graduates were unable to have their own stage due to the conditions of the period. In 1947, the lower floor of this apartment building was opened as a state theater under the name of “practice stage”, thus establishing an official state theater stage. The Small Theater, established with the great efforts of Muhsin Ertuğrul, who was the director of the practice stage, and the artists who graduated from the conservatory, still hosts plays in Ankara. We definitely recommend that you watch a play at the Small Theater, which attracts the attention of art lovers with its high domed hall and architecture and is located in the Ulus district of Ankara.

The Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre is a stage in the Ankara Opera House where state theatre plays are performed. In addition to theatre plays, the Ankara Opera House also hosts performances by the Ankara State Opera and Ballet. The building, which was opened as an exhibition building in 1934, hosted an exhibition celebrating the five-year industrial development plan for the first time. Tens of thousands of people attended this exhibition. Later, the building became an architectural symbol of Kemalist thought with exhibitions showing the services of the new republic. After arrangements made at the request of the Ministry of National Education, it was reunited with the public as an opera house in 1948.

The fact that the building was converted into an opera house and its architecture was adapted to the style of the Second National Architecture Movement upset the building's first designer, Architect Şevki Balmumcu, and caused him to quit his profession. Balmumcu, who was upset when his work was restored without his knowledge, quit his profession and could not hold on to other jobs and lived in poverty. The architect, who also lost his sanity, spent some time in a mental hospital. This sad story, in which we understand that an artist's sensitivity towards his work should not be underestimated, is a small memory besides the fact that the building rose as an opera house with its new form.

The Grand Theater is a stage where theater plays are still performed inside the opera house. Just like the Little Theater, this place also creates complete satisfaction for art lovers with the nostalgic atmosphere created by its architecture and history.

Theater Events in Ankara

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Ankara State Theater is spread all over the city; It meets theater lovers at different points of Ankara with its 16 stages. This year, a new stage was opened in Pursaklar, and Ankara residents know very well how far Pursaklar is from the center. With easy transportation, a rich program and ticket prices that suit every budget, you can comfortably go to the evenings during the week according to your work and school hours, or during the day and evening hours on the weekends.You can go to a theater play. If you have never been before, now you definitely need to go in light of this information so that you can enjoy the theater that makes your life better. As William Shakespeare said, "The world is like a great theater stage, Each plays his part on it, and when his part is over he leaves it." All you have to do is find the theater stage closest to you and buy a ticket online. Enjoy the show.

Written by: Selin Hızarcı