The Marionette Theatre - Kaburcuk & Lubet in Anatolia

The Marionette Theatre, which is known as Korcak, Kudurcuk, Kaburcuk and Lubet in Anatolia, is the oldest form of theatre in the world. Some other expressions like Korkolcak and Cadirhayal (time for fantasy) describe better exactly what it means.

Originally this type of performance came from central Asia. Since the seventeenth century, each of the Turkish tribes has developed their own techniques and characters for their Marionette Theatre. The puppets are called Bebek, Cömce, Gelin or Karacör.

The themes of the performances are always changing and mostly show the daily life of village people and of old historical stories and have been presented in the country-side since the 14th century. The main figures are a young, clever boy named Stoffel and his companion Ithiyar (the Old) - a rich, educated and experienced man.

The widespread tradition of making and using Marionette puppets (brought to life by strings on fixed or movable stages) declined in importance at the end of the nineteenth century. During the foundation of the Turkish Republic only a few artists tried to keep this type of theatre alive. Today there are only very few, but very well-known people like Ihsan Dizdar, Selim, M. Tahir Ikiler, Haluk Yüce and Duygu Tansy, who still use the old traditional form of the Marionette Theatre.

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