Prof. Cüneyt Gökçer, the Chair of the Department of Performing Arts said, "The need for directors appeared when the number of works to be performed (i.e., plays, ballets and operas) increased." He explained, "What a conductor is to an orchestra so a director is to a play. Conductors interpret compositions and give life to orchestras. Similarly, directors interpret plays and take a big part in their creation and performance. They have to work with each actor and actress individually in order to create a successful play. Directors are responsible for the performers, for the audience and for the writer of the play."

To become a director, students take courses including Ballet and Dance in Theatre, Aesthetics, The Art of Acting, Psychology of Art, Ethics, Movement, Directing, History of Art, and World Literature. After their training, they may direct either plays or operas, and may also act when they are needed (or if they want to). Akif Yeşilkaya, who has a masters degree in Electrical Engineering, is one of the first three students studying to be (performing arts) directors in Turkey. When asked what he finds interesting about becoming a director, he replied, "People often think about an ideal world, and being a director gives you the chance to set up an ideal environment. The stage is like a small world and in it, directors have a chance to create and to reflect their point of view."

Students, Güneş Altınbaş, Akif Yeşilkaya, and Oykun Asyalıoğlu, will be directing three short plays Cephede Piknik, Ben Feuerbach, and Ayı that will be presented together on one night. The plays will be staged in the FMPA theatre hall on November 24, December 15, and February 16. Come and watch the plays and share the excitement!

Tickets can be obtained at the FMPA or at DOST Kitabevi (DOST bookstore) Kızılay branch. For further information, call 266-4230.

Watch for announcements to be posted around campus and in the Bilkent News.