The Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality City Theaters’ production of "Savaş ve Barış" ("War and Peace"), adapted from the classic novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy and directed by Mehmet Birkiye, will be staged in Moscow, Russia.
Since its premiere on March 27, 2024, the play has been regularly performed at the City Theaters under the Metropolitan Municipality. After one performance attended by Russian curator Arthur Grigoryants, the production received an official invitation to participate in the prestigious Art Festival Inspiration, scheduled to take place in Moscow from July 23 to July 27.
Aydın Sigalı, general art director of the City Theaters, expressed his pride in representing Türkiye at such a prominent international event during an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).
“Receiving this invitation is an honor,” Sigalı said. “We’ll travel to Russia on July 20 to perform 'War and Peace' in Moscow. The play will be presented in Turkish with subtitles. Since the Russian audience has studied the novel from middle school onward, they are deeply familiar with it. What will be exciting and unique for them is hearing it in Turkish – experiencing the musicality and rhetoric of our language applied to a work from their own literary heritage.”
Sigalı emphasized that the invitation came after Grigoryants was impressed by the performance he saw in Türkiye. “This will mark the first time a Turkish theater group has participated in the festival, which significantly increases our responsibility. Moreover, we’ve been given the honor of opening the festival. Opening performances are always the most anticipated and often the most grand. The festival is followed throughout the year by audiences eager to see what it will present, so launching it with our production is a tremendous opportunity.”
He also highlighted the growing international recognition of the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality City Theaters, noting that the institution is steadily gaining global prestige.
Actor Emre Işık also shared his excitement: “It’s incredibly thrilling to perform this play in Moscow, the cultural heart of 'War and Peace.'”
