LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Welcome to Bilkent University Theatre Department,
Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performance Arts, Department of Theatre is the first private acting department in Turkey. It was founded in 1985 by one of the pioneers of Turkish theatre Cüneyt Gökçer.
Our department educates and trains undergraduate students to become actors and theatre artists and enjoys a reputation of being a national first choice for many students in Turkey.
We provide the creative tools to become fully-equipped actors to our students and offer a rigorous academic curriculum with our internationally-acclaimed, award-winning teaching faculty and top-notch production facilities, and two stages. Our students can interpret, analyze and perform in various disciplines and styles, from classical plays to cutting-edge post-modern theatre and from stage to the screen.
At Bilkent University Theatre Department, we produce student plays every semester as Bilkent Theatre. Undergraduate students perform these plays as part of their class curriculum during the fall and spring terms.
Every year, we invite leading guest artists and directors from Turkey and worldwide to conduct specialized workshops and direct our students in productions.
Our yearly event organizations, such as Ancient Greek Drama Week and Bilkent Theatre Days-International University Theatre Festival, and our community-oriented programs, such as Bilkent Theatre for Kids and BILT empower our students to become versatile and confident theatre professionals during their school life and beyond.
At Bilkent University Theatre Department, we believe in training students who are informed and inspired to continue to learn and grow and become leaders in their field to develop relevant theatrical experiences for the communities they serve in Turkey and worldwide.
Sincerely,
Asst. Professor Jason HALE
ACTING EDUCATION WITH A GLOBAL VISION
At Bilkent University Theatre Department, we are dedicated to collaborating with the international theatre world and bringing world theatre experiences to our students and community.
Bilkent University Theatre Department accepts students who have entered the Turkish higher education placement exam and are selected through the Bilkent University Theatre Department talent exam every year. Admitted students have to pass the PAE exam before starting our program, which provides all of our students with an advanced level of English as well as their native language Turkish.
Every year, we invite leading guest artists and directors from Turkey and around the world to conduct specialized workshops and direct our students in productions.
Our students are granted scholarships to attend programs abroad through our active bilateral collaborations with international acting institutions, including Shanghai Theatre Academy and Texas Tech University-School of Theatre and Dance, and through other Erasmus exchanges.
Our department was selected as a UNESCO-ITI Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts member UNESCO-ITI Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts in 2018.
BILKENT THEATRE: UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PLAY PRODUCTIONS
At Bilkent University Theatre Department, we believe in educating our students with a rich hands-on experience in theatre, and produce student plays every semester as Bilkent Theatre. These plays are performed by undergraduate students as part of their class curriculum during the fall and spring terms.
Our junior and senior graduation projects are directed by Bilkent University Theatre Department faculty and notable guest directors from Turkey and around the world. Our play curriculum is selected towards our goal to offer each student a versatile and rich acting experience. By graduation, each acting student performs in three to four main productions, having been provided many opportunities to perform to live audiences. First and second-year students are also trained in the staging process as backstage and production teams, and they also do performance presentations.
Bilkent Theatre productions regularly visit the theatre festivals in Turkey. Since 2014, our plays are viewed by Ankara and Bilkent audiences on a weekly performance schedule during the academic year on our two stages – Main Theatre Hall and Chamber Theatre in FMPA Building at Bilkent University campus.
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ANCIENT GREEK DRAMA WEEK
As part of the curriculum in our acting program, we explore Ancient theatre history and theatrical texts in the classroom. Since 2018, every fall semester, we have organized an Ancient Greek Drama Week in our department with theatre artists specialized in this period and trace the origins of Ancient Greek theatre from ritual to mask work. This week also includes a trip to ancient theatre sites in the Aegean region of Turkey, adding a powerful dimension to this learning experience. We also invite and host an international acting department to train with our students this week.
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BILKENT THEATRE DAYS: INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY THEATRE FESTIVAL
At Bilkent University Theatre Department, we believe in the collaboration of all students and educators of acting and organize a festival on our campus every year. Our Bilkent Theatre Days – International University Theatre Festival brings all acting students from Turkey and the world together every June on our campus for a week. The festival showcases the end-of-year productions of graduating classes and celebrates their accomplishments.
Our festival began as a university international theatre festival, Bilkent Theatre Meetings, in 1993 and 1996. The festival was restarted in 2012 by our students as Bilkent Theatre Days, bringing together all Turkish university acting departments. In 2014, our festival evolved into an annual international university theatre festival with invited guest universities from around the world and many Turkish universities.
Some visiting guest productions were from China, Colombia, Iran, South Korea, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Israel, Georgia, Northern Cyprus, and the USA.
BILKENT THEATRE FOR KIDS PROGRAM
At Bilkent University Theatre Department, we strive to reach our community, and nurture the love of theatre in young students.
Bilkent Theatre for Kids Program is our 4-semester intensive weekend program for 8-10 and 11-13 year-old children founded in 2015.
The program aims to enhance acting and social skills in children and is based on physical theatre exercises, Viola Spolin theater games and dance classes.
The students who complete four semesters of this physical program earn a program certificate with a final play presentation on stage.
The instructors of the program are Bilkent University Theatre department graduates and students.
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