Çorum Village Plays
The köy seyirlik oyunu (“village spectator play”) is an improvised form of theatre performed collectively by amateur actors in Anatolian villages on significant days, forming a deep-rooted branch of Turkish dramatic art. According to a survey by the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, these plays make up a significant part of the province’s folk entertainment and serve a function similar to the urban “Halk Tiyatrosu” (folk theatre) tradition and the Tuluat Theatre that emerged from the blending of orta oyunu (a traditional improvisational theatre) with Western-influenced stage drama.
Plays Recorded in Çorum
The list compiled by the Provincial Directorate includes: Hacı Baba, Kış Yarısı (Midwinter), Eminem, Fadimem, Topal Kız (The Lame Girl), Elekçi (The Sieve-maker), Yayık (The Churn), Kalaycı (The Tinsmith), Yahudi, Deve (The Camel), Kartal (The Eagle), Tospağa (The Tortoise), Eşek (The Donkey), Çiftçi (The Farmer), Keloğlan, Soku (The Mortar), Ayı (The Bear), Hasan Baba, Kaplumbağa (The Turtle), Arap, Davarın Yüzü (The Flock’s Face), Tilki ile Tavşan (The Fox and the Hare), Kalaycı ve Körüğü (The Tinsmith and His Bellows), Tarla Sınırı (The Field Boundary), Kenanoğlu, Tortu and Külhanbeyi.
Classification by Theme
The same source groups the recorded plays by content:
- Plays rooted in ritual and legend, “realistic” plays: the Operation Play, the Ayran Play, the Barber Play, the Spinning-Wheel Play, the Groom’s Shave, the Flock’s Face Play, the Crazy Girl Play, the Dillala Play, the Brother-in-Law Play, the Provisioner Play, the Meat-Selling Play, the Going-Abroad Play, the Pilgrim Play, the Tinsmith Play, the Kezban Ana Play, the Jealousy Play, the Girl-Selling Play, the Bellows Play, the Lentil-and-Bean-Selling Play, the Inheritance-Dispute Play, the Horseshoeing Play, the Servant-Girl Play, the Drunk Play, the Boundary-Stone Play and the Shaving Play.
- Death-and-resurrection and bride-abduction themes: the Camel Play, the Guyva Çimmesi Play, the Hasan Baba Play and the Hasan Babası Play.
- Animal impersonations: the Rabbit Play.
- Mute, puppet and prank plays: the Doll Play–Arm Play.
The Ring (Cup) Game
Another widely known Çorum game, especially among men, is the ring game (yüzük oyunu), also known locally as the “cup game” (fincan oyunu). During play, participants recite sung verse-and-prose literary texts called “çığşak.”
Academic Attention
The tradition of village plays has also been documented academically: 2005 Yılında Çorum’da Yaşayan Köy Seyirlik Oyunları (“Village Plays Living in Çorum in 2005”), prepared by M. Öcal Oğuz and Selcan Gürçayır and published by Hitit University Press, is a field study collecting these plays across the province.
Related Pages
Sources
- Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism — Village Plays and Folk Entertainment
- Vikipedi — Köy seyirlik oyunu
- Turkish Grand National Assembly Library catalogue record — Köy Seyirlik Oyunları: 2005/2006 Yılında Çorum’da Yaşayan (prepared by M. Öcal Oğuz, Selcan Gürçayır)