Nesrin Kazankaya
Artistic Director, Actress, Director, Writer, Translator and Drama teacher
In 1977 she graduated cum laude from the Ankara State Conservatory.
Between 1977-1980 she was a student of the directing class in Folkwanghochschule-Essen in Germany.
Since 1982 she has been working for State Theatres as actress and director.
She founded “Children and Youth Theatre” in Ankara.
She worked as an actress in several plays.
She took place in the first establishment of “The State Theatre, Opera and Ballet Employees Foundation” (TOBAV), she served there as “General Secretariat” for three periods, she organized many activities in the foundation.
She directed plays in Ankara, Istanbul, Diyarbakır and Antalya State Theatres.
She was Artistic Manager of the Istanbul State Theatre from 1998 to 1999.
Since 1997 she has been the head of the theatre department in “Pera-School of Fine Arts”. In 1997 she has formed the program for “Pera Fine Arts High School-Theatre Department” and thus the first “theatre highschool” in Turkey was opened up. She has been teaching in both of these departments.
In 2001, she founded Theatre Pera and she has been its artistic director since then.
Published plays and translations:
1997 Translation of Frank Wedekind’s “Spring Awaiking” was published.
2006 “Collected Plays 1 (“Logbook (Julia)”, “Wedding in Dobrinja”)” was published .
2010 “Collected Plays 2 (“Cheers to Memories-Istanbul 1955”, “Professor and Hula-hoop”, “Quintet- The Story of a Return in Five Parts”)” and “Children Plays (“Magical Book”, “Tell It Now!”)” are published in 2010.
2012 Translation of Ariel Dorfman’s “Death and the Maiden” was published.
2013 “Collected Plays 3 ( Oh My Smyrna, My beautiful Izmir”, “Accidentaly (Encounters in Beyoglu)” was published.
2014 “Collected Plays 4 (Two Plays and One Country: It is on me / Rebuplic Station) “ was published.
2015 Translation of W. Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” was publisned.
All the books are published from Mitos-Boyut Press.
She has been working for Istanbul State Theatre, Pera School of Fine Arts and Theatre Pera. She has awards for acting, directing and writing.
Some plays as an actress:
Oktay Rıfat “The Speckled Rooster”;
Oktay Arayıcı “Pseudonym: Goncagul”
Nezihe Araz “Afife Jale”
Luigi Pirandello “Mountain Giants”
Memet Baydur “Girl of the Republic”
N. Kazankaya “Missing”
Marguerite Duras “La Musica Deuxième”
N.Kazankaya “Logbook (Julia)”
N.Kazankaya “Wedding in Dobrinja”
N. Kazankaya “Cheers to Memories”
W. Shakespeare “The Merchant of Venice”
N.Kazankaya “Professor and Hula-hoop”
A. Cehov “Uncle Vanya”
N. Kazankaya “Accidentaly (Encounters in Beyoglu)”
Some plays as a director:
Leonie Ossowski “Voll auf der Rolle”
Volker Ludwig/Reiner Lücker “Mannomann!”, “Dicke Luft”
Herbert Meier “Bei Manesse” (Co-production with Swiss Pro Helvetia Stiftung)
Athol Fugard “The Island” (Yeni Tiyatro)
Maksim Gorki “Petty Bourgeois” (İstanbul State Theatre)
J.B.Moliere “Tartuffe” (Diyarbakır State Theatre)
W. Shakespeare “The Comedy of Errors” (Antalya State Theatre and
Theatre Pera)
W. Shakespeare “Measure for Measure” (İstanbul State Theatre)
W. Shakespeare “The Merchant of Venice”
Georg Tabori “My Mother’s Courage” (İstanbul State Theatre)
Ariel Dorfman “Death and the Maiden”
Coline Serreau “The Comedy of a Downfall (Rabbit Rabbit)”
N.Kazankaya “Logbook (Julia)”
N.Kazankaya “Wedding in Dobrinja”
N. Kazankaya “Cheers to Memories”
N.Kazankaya “Professor and Hulla-hoop”
Adapted from Bertolt Brecht’s Plays: “Praise to a Comfortable Life! (Brecht Cabaret)”
A. Cehov “Uncle Vanya”
N. Kazankaya “Oh My Smyrna, My Beautiful Izmir”
Some plays as a translator:
Jurgen Gross “Die Diebin und Die Lügnerin”
Volker Ludwig “Mannomann!”
Volker Ludwig “Lokomopüf”
Eduardo de Flippo “The Art of Comedy”
Botho Strauss “Trilogie des Wiedersehens”
Frank Wedekind “Spring Awakening”
W. Shakespeare “Measure for Measure”
W. Shakespeare “The Comedy of Errors”
W. Shakespeare “The Merchant of Venice”
A. Cehov “Uncle Vanya”