Theater in Erzurum from the Past to the Present Along the Axis of City - Memory - Art

Culture and art, together with many factors, are the basic components that make up an urban identity. Undoubtedly, one of the important areas of culture and art is theater. In this study, while trying to shed light on the historical course of the art of theater in Erzurum, it was aimed to draw attention to the place and functions of these activites, in line with the the identity of the city and to bring together scattered knowledge and experiences to the literature with a scientific publication. In this study, where a qualitative - descriptive methodology is used, theater activities of the Republican era was discussed, the Erzurum theater experience was reflected through the activities and theater actors, and a chronological flow was established. In this study, where the last century was photographed specifically, attention was drawn to the effects of theater in the socio-cultural and educational areas of the city, and considering the play repertoires of the periods, evaluations and inferences were made regarding the city's changing audience profile. At this point, it is possible to say that Erzurum was one of the richest cities in terms of theater accumulation in the country, thanks to the continuation of theater activities of both private and amateur theater groups as well as official and semi-official theater institutions for over a century. Plays staged at Ibret Evi, which is the first modern establishment of a theater group founded by Kazim Karabekir, and theatrical performances held at the Community Center (Halkevi) established in the 1930's continued intensely until the 1980's in the form of various tours and consecutive performances as private amateur theatre groups along with the Erzurum State Theatre performances all established the foundation and basic building blocks for accumulation of theatre in Erzurum. They also constitute the basic dynamics of urban memory that connects the past with the present.