A WALK IN GEZI PARK

---

A WALK IN GEZI PARK

The text of ‘A Walk in Gezi Park’ was co-written in two days by Cem Uslu, Özen Yula, Yiğit Sertdemir and Mirza Metin, all playwrights from Turkey, during the Gezi Park protests. The writers each wrote a monologue based on their observations during the uprising. The texts were then performed with four actors in parks during the Gezi events and for some time afterwards.

In ‘Coincidence or Otherwise’, Cem Uslu recounts events through the eyes of a 32-year-old white-collar worker who, until now, has never taken part in a demonstration before and only been to Gezi Park a few times. The part was played by Serkan Altıntaş.

Özen Yula’s piece, ‘Filling the Gap’, connects past and present in bringing to Gezi Park a man who witnessed the 1 May 1977 Taksim Square massacre. Reha Özcan, and latterly Erdem Akakçe performed the role.

‘TOMA’s Appeal to the Nation’, written by Yiğit Sertdemir, describes the Gezi

experience from the point of view of a TOMA (riot control vehicle). The part was played initially by Şebnem Sönmez and later by Sevinç Erbulak.

In the final piece, ‘The Paper Collector’s Dog, Kitmir’, Mirza Metin takes up a dog’s version of events. Sermet Yeşil performed the role.

An article in Turkish about Gezi Park plays. Link: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/409971