Gagauz National Drama Theater, which has been invited to festivals all over Türkiye with its plays that describe the history and culture of the Gagauz people living in the Republic of Moldova, has continued to attract great attention from theater lovers this year as well in a festival in Denizli.
Organized for the 35th time this year by Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, the International Theater Festival continues this week with the participation of 17 theater groups, five of which are from abroad.
Tanasoğlu Gagauz National Drama Theater, which came from the Gagauz Autonomous Region of the Republic of Moldova, staged the play "Son Düüş" (Last Fight) with its 23-person team at the festival.
In the Fatma Yıldız Hall with a capacity of 1,000 people in the Nihat Zeybekci Cultural Center, the theater team, which conveyed the establishment process of the Uzi Eyalet state founded by the Gagauz Turks – a Turkic ethnic group – in the Balkan countryside, had a warm interaction with the audience, since Gagauz language is very close to Turkish.
Gagauz National Drama Theater team, which received a standing ovation from the audience at the end of the play, is getting ready to bring play more plays to Anatolian stages such as "Körlerin Dünnesi" (World of the Blind), which is one of the Gagauz legends and tells about the love of the blind, and "Öldür Beni, Ayolcum" (Kill Me, Ayolcum) which tells about neighborly relations.
Theater director and actor Mikhail Konstantinov told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they receive constant invitations from festivals in Türkiye and that they are pleased with the interest shown.
"We were also offered to stage our plays from here, and we came with great enthusiasm. In our play called 'Last Fight,' which we staged in Denizli, we are telling about the Uzi Eyalet state our grandfathers established in the Balkan countryside a thousand years ago."
One of the actors, Mihail Rezunet, stated that the Turkish audience showed great interest in Gagauz plays, they took the stage in many cities and they will continue to do so.
Rezunet stated that the culture and customs of the Gagauz Turks are almost the same as the Turks of Türkiye.
"As Gagauz Turks, we are a branch of the Oghuzs. The Gagauz language is therefore very close to Turkish. We have been to the Konya State Theater eight times. We have also performed in Istanbul and Mersin. I hope there will be more. We are very happy to be here. We show our history in our plays," Rezunet said.
Mihail Gagauz, one of the actors, also stated that they are pleased with the interest shown by the Turkish people in their plays.
"As we can see, Turkish people love theater very much. Every time we come, the hall is full. They will invite us again next year and this time we will stage a more lively play, not a tragic one."
