Burcu Yasemin Seyben

In the last few years there has been a considerable increase in the number of alternative theatre spaces in Istanbul. The most important reason of this increase is that contemporary theatre makers have been looking for new spaces to stage their contemporary work beyond the proscenium stages that are mostly owned by municipalities or state theatres who do very rarely allow newly emerging and contemporary work to be staged in their venues. The private theatre venues have not been the best option for these independent theatre groups either because a private theatre venue usually belongs to a theatre company who charges more than these contemporary theatre makers can afford or because they can not devote a time slot for other companies’ works.

Left with no other option, contemporary theatre companies in Istanbul started to rent alternative spaces such as garages and flats and renovate them to fit their needs for their type of performances. Some drew bank credits and the others earned money from acting in TV series to be able to run their own venues. Despite all the legal and fiscal difficulties, they insisted on having their own spaces. They came together and formed a collective under the title “7 Alternative Theatre Stages Joint Initiative”. I will identify and analyze how these theatre makers operate individually as managers of their own venue and collectively as members of 7 who day-to-day face the challenges of financial management, programming and publicity. How does this mutual and new venue management mechanism operate and what are its benefits and problems for each member and the initiative? I will also question how venue management and the running of a theatre company work when the artists assume the role of performing arts administrators.

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