The 30th Istanbul Theater Festival will bring together 17 productions from Türkiye and abroad across 13 venues in Istanbul from Oct. 22 to Dec. 3, with a program spanning theater, contemporary dance and performance. Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and curated by Mehmet Birkiye, the festival will feature 11 productions from Türkiye and six international works, while two projects will receive support from the IKSV Young Artist Fund.

The festival will open with "Lacrima," written and directed by French director Caroline Guiela Nguyen, the first female director of Theatre National de Strasbourg. Set to be staged at Zorlu PSM's Turkcell Stage on Oct. 22-23, the production follows a chain of labor stretching from a Paris fashion house to embroidery workshops in Mumbai. French, Tamil, English and French sign language are used throughout the performance.

The program will also bring "Ruzgar Agaci," choreographed by Fernando Melo and produced in collaboration with the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and MDTistanbul, to the AKM Theatre Hall on Oct. 24-25. Nederlands Dans Theater's NDT 2 will return to Istanbul after a long absence with a three-part program, performing at Zorlu PSM's Turkcell Stage on Nov. 27-28.

The 30th Istanbul Theater Festival will bring together 17 productions from Türkiye and abroad across 13 venues in Istanbul from Oct. 22 to Dec. 3, with a program spanning theater, contemporary dance and performance. Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and curated by Mehmet Birkiye, the festival will feature 11 productions from Türkiye and six international works, while two projects will receive support from the IKSV Young Artist Fund.

The festival will open with "Lacrima," written and directed by French director Caroline Guiela Nguyen, the first female director of Theatre National de Strasbourg. Set to be staged at Zorlu PSM's Turkcell Stage on Oct. 22-23, the production follows a chain of labor stretching from a Paris fashion house to embroidery workshops in Mumbai. French, Tamil, English and French sign language are used throughout the performance.

The program will also bring "Ruzgar Agaci," choreographed by Fernando Melo and produced in collaboration with the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet and MDTistanbul, to the AKM Theatre Hall on Oct. 24-25. Nederlands Dans Theater's NDT 2 will return to Istanbul after a long absence with a three-part program, performing at Zorlu PSM's Turkcell Stage on Nov. 27-28.