Theatre and Cultural Life in Çorum

Çorum has a vibrant cultural life with an established State Theatre stage, an active municipal theatre, and open-air events in the summer months. According to 2024-2025 cultural statistics, 49 productions were staged during the season at the city’s 418-seat theatre hall.

Çorum State Theatre

The Çorum stage of the General Directorate of State Theatres, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, is the city’s classical theatre address:

• Address: Karakeçili Mah., Hamit Kaplan Cad. No:3, Merkez/Çorum
• Phone: +90 364 213 33 43
• Season: October to June; three performances per week during the season — Friday 20:00, Saturday 14:00 (matinee) and Saturday 20:00 (soirée)
• Tickets: Online via biletinial.com; box office sales are also available
• Programme: The current play calendar can be viewed at devtiyatro.gov.tr by selecting the “ÇORUM” stage (regular performances continue in the 2025-2026 season)

The hall hosts a wide repertoire, from children’s plays to classical tragedies and contemporary Turkish and foreign works.

Çorum Municipality Theatre Club

The municipality’s Theatre Club is the face of theatre in the city that never goes dark, staging plays — usually at the State Theatre hall and free of charge. With original local productions such as “What If Greek Gods Were in Anatolia?”, the club fills the hall. Play schedules are announced in the municipality’s news and on the club’s social media accounts.

Concerts, Exhibitions and Festivals

The municipality’s event calendar (corum.bel.tr/etkinlikler) is rich in categories:

• Millet Bahçesi summer concerts — open-air concerts are a staple of summer evenings
• Festivals and festivities — a local festival calendar stretching from the districts to the centre
• Exhibitions — painting, handicrafts and photography shows
• Summer schools and youth centres — workshop programmes for children and young people

For the annual festival map of Çorum, see our festivals page; for places to visit, see our travel guide.

Cultural Institutions

• Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism: Üçtutlar Mah., Devlet Bahçeli Cad. No:22 — coordinates theatre, museums and cultural events in the province (corum.ktb.gov.tr)
• Çorum Museum and Boğazköy Museum: Open year-round for archaeology enthusiasts
• Çorum Libraries: A network ranging from a 24/7 study hall to a children’s library

History (according to the book Çorum Tarihi)

According to Çorum Tarihi (Turkish, “History of Çorum”), construction of what is now the State Theatre building was begun in 1961 in the grounds of Çorum Secondary School by the Çorum Secondary School Association and completed with state support, opening on 7 July 1969 as the “Culture Hall”. Run by the Public Education Directorate, the hall hosted cultural events including theatre, lectures, commemorations, concerts and folk-dance performances. It was handed over to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under a protocol signed in 1983 to pave the way for the opening of the State Theatre, and after the necessary restoration it opened with a ceremony as the Çorum State Theatre on 18 September 1984 (Çorum Tarihi, p. 328-329).

The book also records that the city’s first festival, called the “Hittite Festival”, was held on 15-16 October 1981. Its aims were to strengthen social harmony, promote Hittite civilization — one of three great empires that flourished in Anatolia — and build tourism potential; in later years it moved to the second half of September. Focused on culture and entertainment, the festival was largely financed by the municipality and the provincial special administration, with contributions from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; alongside the programme in the city centre, guided trips were organized to Hattusa (Boğazkale), Yazılıkaya and Alacahöyük (Çorum Tarihi, p. 328). For today’s festival calendar, see our festivals page.

Sources

• State Theatres — Çorum General Programme
• Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism — Theatre
• tiyatrolar.com.tr — Çorum State Theatre Stage
• Çorum Municipality — Events
• Çorum Municipality — Theatre Club Takes the Stage
• Kesin Karar — Local Productions Preferred in Çorum
• İlhan Tekeli, “1950-1980 Döneminde Kentin Faaliyetlerindeki Gelişmeler” (“Developments in the City’s Activities in the Period 1950-1980”), Çorum Tarihi (History of Çorum), 5. Hitit Festivali Komitesi; ed. Çorum Belediyesi Kent Arşivi, 3rd ed., Çorum Belediyesi Kültür Yayını, Çorum 2020, p. 328-329. https://www.corum.bel.tr/public/uploads/2026/01/corumtarihi.pdf