Children’s theater festival to kick off April 25

By Ayse Busra Erkec

ANKARA (AA) – An international children’s theater festival will begin on April 25 in the capital Ankara, Turkey’s State Theaters announced Thursday.

In a statement, the State Theaters said 23 plays, including eight from abroad, would be staged during the 13th International Children’s Theater Festival: Little Ladies, Little Gentlemen on April 25-30.

This year’s festival will see more than 100 performances by theater groups from Italy, Russia, Spain, Kosovo, Chile, and Greece as well as 10 local troupes.

The five-day festival will feature puppet shows, shadow plays, musicals, and dance shows to both entertain and educate children, organizers said.

Turkish State Theaters, which oversees theater companies in Turkey, has been running the festival for the past 13 years around Children's Day on April 23.

According to the government-run body’s website, the festival’s name comes from a speech to children by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, who dedicated the day to children.

“Little ladies, little gentlemen, you are all the roses, the stars and the sparkling joy of our future, the ones who will elevate the nation,” he said. “Always be aware of your value and significance! And work hard... we have great expectations of you.”

According to the organizers, over the last 12 years the festival has hosted 102 foreign theater groups from 50 countries and attracted around 250,000 children.