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                Turkish Actors Protest State Control of Theaters

   by Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL - Hundreds of actors and supporters of free expression
   recently demonstrated in the heart of Istanbul against what they call
   growing political control of the country's municipal and state
   theaters.
   Istanbul City Theater sparked controversy with its April 2012
   production of Daily Obscene Secrets by Chilean playwright Marco Antonio
   de la Parra.
   Conservative media outlets condemned the play as "vulgarity at the
   hands of the state," after which Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas, a member
   of the ruling AK Party, promptly transferred control of what is
   produced by municipal theaters to his administration.
   Despite the protests that followed, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
   quickly backed his mayor in an address to party supporters in which he
   accused actors and producers of being elitists who look down on their
   own people by creating their own areas for power and profit.
   "Those involved in theater stand outside the bars with a whiskey glass
   in their hand, an all-knowing attitude, and insult the people without
   producing anything," he said.
   If state theaters need government support, he added, then government
   should decide what plays are produced, and then warned that he is
   considering privatizing the country's 58 state theaters.
   A History of State Control
   Turkey's tradition of state-financed theaters dates to the formation of
   the republic in 1923, when the policy was seen as a way to further the
   Westernization of society.
   State theaters are subsidized with $63 million annually, and each year
   about 5,000 performances enjoy strong attendance.
   But that support has led many Turkish Muslims to view theaters with
   suspicion.
   In the Taksim area of central Istanbul, the heart of the city's vibrant
   entertainment district, some voice concern about Prime Minister
   Erdogan's tough stance and a rekindling of fears about the Islamic
   roots of his party.
   "There is no soul of the conservatism in the art," said one individual.
   "Art is not conservative. Art is freedom, art is self-expression. If
   you conserve our past, we cannot live in the nowadays."
   "Art must be independent," said another. "I believe he will understand
   his mistakes."
   Increased Fines, Bans
   The latest dispute, however, is not an isolated event.
   Despite popularity among Turkish viewers, "Behazat c," a hit television
   show about a hard-drinking, womanizing police detective, has caught the