A new production staged by Department of Performing Arts students had its premiere on December 15 in the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts Theater Hall. The one-act play, which will run through December 30, is a Turkish translation of American playwright Clifford Odets’s “Waiting for Lefty” (Lefty’i Beklerken).
Written in 1935, during the depths of the Great Depression, the play depicts a New York cab drivers’ union meeting on the eve of a strike. A corrupt union leader arrogantly tries to discourage the members from walking out, but support for a strike is high, and the workers nervously await the arrival of the strike faction’s leader, Lefty Costello. As they wait, members of the strike committee address the workers, each telling the story of how he came to be involved in the union and convinced of the necessity for a strike. Odets based this hard-hitting play on a real 1934 strike by New York cab drivers.
The Bilkent production is directed by the chair of the Department of Performing Arts, Asst. Prof. Jason Hale. Costume design is by İnci Kangal Özgür and lighting design by Yılmaz Ertekin. Cast members are Emrullah Çakay, Efe Çetinel, Alper Çankaya, Faysal Dakni, Elif Kaman, Barkın Kenan, Gülçin Kültür, Pelin Şahin and Berkay Şekerci.
The play is recommended for adults and young people aged 12 and above. Remaining performances will take place on December 22 and 30 at 8 p.m. in the FMPA Theater Hall. Bus service will be provided from the FMPA building to Tunus Street in downtown Ankara following each performance.
For tickets: ticket.bilkent.edu.tr Phone: ext. 1775