Bitef

Alpay EKLER The Puppetmaster Biography Bom in Istanbul in 1964. He studied foreign language teaching . But he has had a great interest in drama since high school days - 1980. He participated many projects as an actor. After the University he founded the group named Steps Theatre. Between the years 1988 and 1993 he directed 6 plays. He also design and apply masks and puppets in some of these plays. Then he began to get interested in children 's theatre and puppets... He founded the Üsküdar Puppet Theatre in the same year... But next changed the name as Üsküdar Karagöz Theatre because he saw that the karagöz is more attractive in preschool performances... Alpay Ekler won the Karagöz prize of Children Foundation. But the play that he wrote and performed was for adults. His play was about a folklore tradition in old Istanbul. The tradition of improvisatory folk poetry and face to face conversation saying poems with the atmosphere of Karagöz was handled by him in this play. Alpay Ekler makes his own Karagöz figures also. The birth of the tradition again he says it why he make them from animal skin, naturally dyed (not ink) and knife holed (not bum). Alpay Ekler writes new texts and arricies of Karagöz. As mostly believed, Karagöz is anonym but he documented and proved that it is not. Karagöz is a folk theater but is an performing art designed and performed by one person.