Nicosia Municipal Theater

A scene from the premiere of the play İki Kişilik Hırgür at the Nicosia Municipal Theater

Nicosia Municipal Theater (Turkish: Lefkoşa Belediye Tiyatrosu) is a prominent theatrical organization in Northern Cyprus. Headquartered in North Nicosia, it is organized under the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. It was founded in 1980.

History

Following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, a group of actors, including Osman Alkaş and Erol Refikoglu, were fired from the Turkish Cypriot State Theatre for staging a politically sensitive play.[1][2] Despite the limited budget of the municipality, Mustafa Akıncı, the mayor at the time, worked to provide sponsorship for a new Nicosia Municipal Theater.[3] The theater was officially founded on 3 November 1980.[4]

From humble beginnings in a building converted from a barn, the Nicosia Municipal Theater grew into a cultural center of the community.[3] It has been praised for its performances that do not abstain from expressing political views.[2] The theater has toured outside Northern Cyprus in various cities across Turkey and in the Republic of Cyprus.[5] The annual Cyprus Theater Festival is organized under the aegis of the Nicosia Municipal Theater.[6]

In 2012, the temporary administration of the municipality abruptly announced the closure of the theater due to financial problems.[7] This attempt to close the theater met with immediate protests from the arts community.[3]

The current theater building is a Neoclassical structure owned by the city of Nicosia, which has been used for performances since 1967.[8]

Since 1996, the Capital Theatre Project has been planned to create a new cultural center to house the Nicosia Municipal Theater, with a 2500-person capacity amphitheater and multiple smaller theaters, concert halls, and museums.[9] The project has been stalled since 2012 due to lack of funding.[6] In 2013, then-mayor of Nicosia Kadri Fellahoğlu stated that work would continue on the new theater.[9] In 2017, the still-unfinished theater building was in a state of extreme disrepair, with mayor Mehmet Harmancı announcing that repairs and completion would cost 17 million Turkish lira.[6]

In 2023, the Nicosia Municipal Theater building was illuminated with the flag of Israel to commemorate the October 7 attacks.[10]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nicosia Municipal Theater.

References

  1. ^ Akmen, Üstün. "VAROLUŞSAL SORUNLAR VE KENDİMİZLE YÜZ YÜZE ÇARPIŞMAK: "KAYIP"". Tiyatro Eleştirmenleri Birliği (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b Pak, Yavuz (23 December 2013). ""Ada"dan Yükselen Ses: Tiyatro Maskaralık Değildir!". Mimesis (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 9 December 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Karanlığa Karşı Özgür Tiyatro". Ortam (in Turkish). 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  4. ^ Ersoy, Yaşar. "Lefkoşa Belediye Tiyatrosu". Lefkoşa Belediye Tiyatrosu - Nicosial Municipal Theatre (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 12 May 2015.
  5. ^ Hastürer, Hasan. "Yüz akımız Lefkoşa Belediye Tiyatrosu..." Kıbrıs Postası (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "Bir yanda festival BİR YANDA HARABE!". Yeni Düzen (in Turkish). 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Lefkoşa Belediye Tiyatrosu kapatılıyor!". Kıbrıs Postası (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  8. ^ "Δήμος Λευκωσίας - Nicosia Municipal Theatre". Municipality of Nicosia. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  9. ^ a b Akmen, Üstün. "Kıbrıs Tiyatro Festivali'nden döndüm". Evrensel (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  10. ^ "The Israeli flag was illuminated at the Nicosia Municipal Theater". Phileleftheros. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
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