Dramatic theatrical village games played among women in Kastamonu

Village theatrical performances occupy a distinctive place within traditional Turkish theater, and considerable research has been conducted on these performances. However, studies focusing on those performed by women are notably fewer compared to those featuring men. The limited number of female-performed plays in existing sources, the challenges of collecting data from female informants, and the declining frequency of such performances over time underscore the necessity of this study. The research is focused on villages in the Kastamonu region. Data collection was conducted through observation, interviews, and random sampling methods, with previously documented plays from the region also included via a literature review. This study presents village theatrical performances compiled during field research conducted in Kastamonu between 2017 and 2022. Following the decision by Ulakbilim TR Dizin, Ethics Committee Approval has been mandatory for studies published since 2020. The necessary approvals were obtained in 2021, and informed consent was secured from all participants, ensuring that all required information and documentation were appropriately gathered. Drawing on the information provided by informants, the study examines and evaluates village theatrical performances that were either recently performed or are still being performed in Kastamonu. The study is organized into nine sections and includes a total of 92 play scripts collected from Kastamonu villages through both fieldwork and literature review. The study first outlines the purpose and necessity of the research, then explores the social environments of women, the sources and performance contexts of the plays, the timing of the performances, and the techniques employed. It further classifies the collected plays, analyzes their motifs, and discusses gender perceptions in the plays performed by women. The final section offers a comparative analysis of the variants of the plays collected from Kastamonu. The findings aim to contribute to both folklore studies and research on traditional Turkish theater, with a particular emphasis on women's folklore. The data are evaluated from an interdisciplinary perspective, with the goal of identifying how women's cultural expressions are reflected in these performances.