Rural reality for contemporary Turkish theatre

Turkey is an improving country and keeps its characteristics of being an agricultural society. Industrialisation in Turkey is experienced as a slow and longtermed phase. This phase has been a hard phase for the rural society as much as urban society. In addition, an immigration fact from rural areas to urban areas has also been experienced. Immediate history is full of examples of these hard and conflicting situations. Social balances could not be kept after 1960's in Republic history. Because the next twenty years are the years in which very significant opposition movements are experienced. During these years in which social opposition increased gradually, social consciousing has also showed improvements in the same way. The concern of theatre for ' rural reality'' starts from the years that Republic was established. The first plays about rural areas are written as directed towards exalting Republic ideology. These plays were staged firstly by 'Turkish Associations', and the by 'Public houses'. Especially after transition to multi-party period in 1946, a politicial direction towards rural areas initiated. The fact that Democratic Party (supposedly) teated tha village and peasants with great love and respect in order to get the votes of rural areas, has attracted the attention of Republic intellectuals. Writers of this period have concerned themselves with the problems of peasants in their novels and opposed the Democratic Party. Playwrights have also been affected from the developments experienced in literature field. Especially, partial freedoms environment provided by the new Constitution, and mass consciousing period which was created by social opposition in 60's is an important factor for the improvement of theatre. The plays having ''rural reality'' as the subject in 60's and 70's are the production of socialist realist understanding. However, this productive period has been interrupted in early 1980's, almost no play having rural areas as subject was written. VI