Stories of “Here” and “Now”
The unified beating of dozens of hearts for a single purpose is the best thing about theater. This collective spirit can turn into a perfect dialogue in the eyes of a good narrator. For Serdar Biliş, production is “talking, chasing meanings, and distilling those meanings day by day.” His playground is transforming all the possibilities of life into repeatable, controlled worlds. “Just like a child, retelling the story of a confusing event over and over…”As we try to understand and illustrate the adventure of rehearsals on and behind the stage, transforming into stories that touch thousands of hearts, we ask again, “What turns theater into such a magical narrative?”
DUYGU What is the main element that turns a script into a theater play?
SERDAR The hour of the theater shows “now”. Theater is concerned with what happens here and now. It brings the events that we couldn’t witness right before our eyes and just like in dreams, it exercises our minds with possibility practices. Theater is dreaming while awake.
In other words, what transforms a script into a theater play is the actor, their action, their generosity, their courage to risk being seen while baring their soul.
DUYGU What does crearing mean in the world of Serdar Biliş?
SERDAR As Nazım Hikmet once said, “The most beautiful poem is the one that is yet to be written”; we keep on searching for that unwritten poem, the theater play that is yet to be created. I consider myself lucky, as theater is a job that is collectively performed. For me, creating is dialogue; talking, chasing meanings, and distilling those meanings day by day. It means curating repeatable, controlled worlds against the random ruthlessness of life. I think we are trying to untangle our confusion during rehearsals, just like a child, retelling the story of a confusing event over and over.
DUYGU What is the one “must-have” of theater that differentiates it from other art disciplines?
SERDAR The magic of theater lies in the shared experience it offers. The unique aspect of the theater is its requirement of it being live. Thus, the theater never dies. Humanity has coped with darkness by lighting fires, gathering around them, and telling stories. When we gather around that brightness in the dark, the potential for change, transformation, and purification begins.
DUYGU Do you believe that theater is receiving the value it deserves in the world ofcontemporary art?
SERDAR What will bring theater to broader audiences is its accessibility, and cultural policies are the key to achieve this. Regrettably, we are far from these policies. There is a system that confines people to their screens at home and our lives tucked within walls apparently serve someone’s interests. Theater is revolutionary. It challenges norms and taboos. This means an increase in questioning individuals, which would now “spoil the mood.”
DUYGU How would you describe the connection between the stage and the audience?
SERDAR The audience establishes a distanced identification with the stage, and embarks on a journey to new realms. In a way, actors on stage become the avatars of the audience. The antique form of a 3-dimensional journey… The acting ground is ritualistic place at its core. The “performance” begins when some people leave the circle of ritual to watch. As Peter Brook stated, “I can take any empty space and call it a stage. If a person walks through this empty space, and another watches them, the necessary conditions for theater are fulfilled.” The acting stage rolls the closed curtains and shows what’s inside. The inner self mentioned in Yunus’ verses, “There is an I within myself” is that connection—a connection of imagination.
DUYGU What kind of an effect does “experience” have in performing arts?
SERDAR I believe that writing a play, directing it is more about designing an experience. Theater texts are not only made up of remarks, but they mostly consist of twisted times, places, and events. Everything can be bent; you can beam up from a palace to a forest in a second, for instance. This collaboration between the audience and the play gives wings to our imagination. Then, watch the world unfold!
DUYGU How influential are external factors in the preparation stage of a play?
SERDAR I think, quite a lot. The country’s economic situation, the mood of society, the rehearsal space, budgets—they all certainly play a decisive role in the fate of the work. But the candle burning inside struggles to preserve the essence, no matter what. Shapes and forms change, but the essence is everlasting.
“The hour of the theater shows “now”. Theater is concerned with what happens here and now. It brings the events that we couldn’t witness right before our eyes and just like in dreams, it exercises our minds with possibility practices. Theater is dreaming while awake.”
Serdar Biliş
DUYGU How much effect do the audience’s comments have on the development of a play after it was staged? Do you amend the flow based on these comments?
SERDAR I’ve always been curious about the moment when a play meets the audience. Because one can never predict what exactly will happen in that encounter. The plays surely change, they transform. I believe that we need to clear our filters and hear the voices, unless we want to be held up in museums. It is important to lend an insightful ear to the audience, not in order to be liked better, but to be better understood, and dig deeper.
DUYGU What has changed for you since the first play you staged?
SERDAR I have, for sure. The world has changed. My experiences have changed. Now my belief in the ship to find the shore is stronger. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the thrill scented fear that I feel on the very first day of rehearsal.
DUYGU What would you advise the younger Serdar, trying to stage his first play, with your current experience?
SERDAR You can be more courageous, don’t distract yourself with secondary issues, focus on what truly matters. Well, I’d also like to say “Well done, mate.”
DUYGU A confession?
SERDAR Directing can be a very lonely profession.
DUYGU One of the most influential plays of the season, Afife also stands as a milestone in Turkish theater history. What were your concerns and sensitivities in putting such a powerful character on the stage?
SERDAR We were clear from the very start of this long journey that it would be a story about “being Afife”. Putting aside the fact that a detailed biographical study couldn’t be made in the light of existing knowledge, it ran the risk of focusing on the tragic end rather than what Afife had achieved as a very young woman. However, we wanted to celebrate her Dionysian energy and resilient existence, and to spread the inspiration we drew from her to the audience filling the theater. She was a soul who has chosen existence over disappearance, and the stage she bonded to with love should naturally be at the heart of the play.
And surely it would be remiss not to pay homage to masters of the stage of that period, the Armenian masters, whose names we unfortunately neither know, remember or keep alive. Let’s salute them here as well. A bewildering period, the World War, an Istanbul under siege, independence ideals, and the bustling streets of the capital… All these historic and sociological backgrounds are elements that enrich and deepen the story.
DUYGU How do you evaluate the theater scene in İstanbul as a director with the opportunity to practice your profession on both global and local stages?
SERDAR Our theater scene is abundant in stories but scarce in resources. Because of this, or maybe thanks to this, hundreds of ideas come to life, even if they cannot be finely crafted. I believe that we need art policies that can guide this fiery energy. For instance, wouldn’t it be nice if an establishment founded an international relations office for theater? I believe such an effort to increase the dialogue between the work produced in Istanbul and the world stage would bear a lot of fruit in the medium term.
DUYGU How do you manage to keep yourself up-to-date?
SERDAR Mostly thanks to my students at Kadir Has University, I can say. Workshops are spaces where a director can conduct their research without the pressure of results. I think it’s important to say “I don’t know” sincerely. Knowing blinds us, not knowing is a good place to start.
DUYGU What is the greatest triggering element of your creative process?
SERDAR Curiosity and boredom.
DUYGU As a director who has read hundreds of texts, can you share a quote that triggers your imagination?
SERDAR “Every choice I’ve ever made has been dictated by a formless hunch rather than by strict logic.” – Peter Brook.
This quote taught me to surrender to the process, that it’s an unproductive effort to calculate everything in advance. It also taught me the value of intuitions that arise and the patience required to let those intuitions take form.
DUYGU Have you been able to prove yourself to yourself? How much do you think you have fulfilled yourself at this point you’ve reached?
SERDAR I have in mind both what I’ve achieved and what I haven’t yet. But I guess the important thing is to do your best.
DUYGU What’s next for Serdar Biliş?
SERDAR I’ve been a nomad all my life. One moment here, the next there. Though I love this way of living, sometimes I think I’d like to have my own theater. Of course, this is more of a wish that I’ve hung on a tree than a plan.
From Based Istanbul N°44 – Confessions Issue. “World is basically a “dynamic” mess of jiggling things. You need to confess your messy parts first.” Buy your copy now!
Creative Direction and Interview by Duygu Bengi
Photography by Umutcan Öncü