The Role of Armenians in Establishing Western Theatre in the Ottoman Empire

There were numerous factors that gave rise to the emergence of western theatre in the Ottoman Empire during the nineteenth century. Among these, the contribution of non-Muslim minorities, especially that of the Armenians, is particularly noteworthy as they were the ones who publicly performed western plays both in Armenian and Ottoman Turkish. Though the theatre critics of the early Republican era acknowledged their contribution, they also showed nationalistic sensitivity in evaluating issues related to the history of western theatre. Accordingly, this article aims to provide a detailed account of the contributions of the Armenians and offers a broader perspective of how theatre was shaped right before multi-ethnic Ottoman Empire transformed into a Republic.