Theaters are now opening virtually after remaining closed for months due to the coronavirus outbreak. Theater enthusiasts will now be able to watch performances online on the website tiyatro.net, with the first staging scheduled for Dec. 31.
As theater plays have long been suspended within the scope of coronavirus measures, the platform tiyatro.net has been established so performances can continue to entertain theatergoers. A wide array of theatrical productions, from comedy to tragedy, children’s plays and adventurous plays, will be available on this digital platform. Following the inauguration attended by stage actors Yasemin Yalçın, Ilyas Ilbey, Cemal Hünal, Kamuran Akkor, Onur Şenay and Kemal Başar on Dec. 28, the platform will be opened to the public on Dec. 31.
Speaking at the inaugural event, Şenay said they cannot offer their theater performances live everywhere, however, the new platform allows them to bring the plays to the audience no matter where they are.
Hünal also indicated that the coronavirus outbreak has somehow become an interesting opportunity for theater actors, adding that they reached 14,000 people with their first Instagram live play. "Then, Şenay developed the idea of tiyatro.net. It is very convenient in terms of access to plays. It is a platform where people can access the theater in their own time and share it with their friends," he added.
Yalçın and Ilbey, who attended the event via videoconference, thanked those who established the platform on the behalf of theater actors.
Famous actor Ali Poyrazoğlu, who also attended the inauguration, said they usually tour cities like Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul to stage plays, but it is not possible to reach everyone.
Referring to a letter he received from a teacher in Trabzon who expressed her sadness about not being able to watch their plays, Poyrazoğlu noted: "Also, there are people abroad who speak Turkish. When we go there, there is a stampede, and they currently cannot watch. We are overcoming all these obstacles thanks to the platforms offered by digitalization."