Genco Erkal’s passing in July 2024 saddened art lovers in Turkey. Erkal’s devotion to theater, which RC helped solidify, left an indelible mark in Turkish cultural history. Here, friends and colleagues make a tribute to a life well-lived.
Dikmen Gürün ACG 61: "Merhaba" Genco Erkal
Genco Erkal devoted 65 years to theater. He breathed theater and poured life into our theater. Dostlar Theater, of which he was a founder, is now 55 years old.
Genco Erkal is one of Turkey's “political theater” pioneers. From Bertolt Brecht to especially Nazım Hikmet, he urged in all his plays an essential aspect of life: "Respect for human dignity, respect for human rights."
Documentary plays such as Sivas 93 are also the pillars of his political theater journey. He never compromised from his socialist approach. Through his rational reflections on issues of war and peace, human rights, law and justice, he brought to light the points of concern and questions regarding the system and the society in which he lived.
Genco Erkal was a theater artist who conveyed the essence of critical thinking in all of his creations.
Nedim Saban RC 86: “Erkal Was a Role Model for Me”
Genco Erkal began his professional theater career with Kent Theater Company, where he considered Yıldız Kenter his lifelong mentor and showed consistent loyalty to her. He introduced avant-garde plays of the time, such as Sandalyeler (The Chairs) and Ders (The Lesson). Subsequently, in Istanbul, he co-founded Dostlar Tiyatrosu, which diverged significantly from the contemporary theater norms. In his later years, he created retrospective productions featuring writers like Can Yücel, Bertolt Brecht, and Aziz Nesin.
Erkal was a significant role model for me during my youth. I often felt the pressure of his accomplishments and this pressure was a little harsh on me. In my amateur theater days, he welcomed me into using his theater space, giving me the chance to hold rehearsals for my street theater performances. During that period, notifications about play bans due to martial law were sent out during work hours, and I sometimes received them.
My grandmother was concerned about my aspiration to become an actor, fearing I might adopt his leftist views. Upon returning from the United States after completing my theater studies, I established my own theater, but for a long time, we only knew each other as acquaintances. However, after Genco Erkal lost his mother, my grandmother, who was a close friend of hers, felt a deep sadness over the loss. This shared experience led to the development of a friendship between us. Together, we protested against the destruction of theaters and later traveled to Cuba with a large group. Until the pandemic, we frequently met to work on my doctoral thesis and a documentary about Robert College. He is terribly missed.
Üstün Ergüder RC 57: “I Was So Impressed by His Acting Prowess”
It was our junior year at Robert College. We were staying in a dormitory of approximately fifteen people on the ground floor of Hamlin Hall overlooking what then was the soccer field. Genco’s bed was next to mine. That was the year that our friendship had developed. I was very impressed with his interest and ability in acting. He became a very valuable member of RC Players. RC definitely had a very important impact on his career in theater. On Wednesday afternoons no classes were scheduled for us and we took the opportunity to go to Beyoğlu cinemas. On the way he would imitate a half-witted youngster on the Taksim-Sarıyer (No:42) bus. He would get very sympathetic comments from old lady passengers. On one occasion he took me to his parents’ house in Teşvikiye and I never forget a comment made by his grandmother when Genco was not around: “You are his friend. He is devoted to acting. I am afraid he will become an entertainer. Please persuade him to go to medical school.” I did nothing about that as I was very much impressed with his acting prowess.
Oya Başak ACG 55: “He Believed in Improving Humankind”
I acted with Genco in the 1955 production of The Happiest Days of Your Life. He was wonderful, and we were great friends even before that. We were also in this group called the Young Players - Genç Oyuncular, independent of RC. We were so idealistic, spreading culture throughout Turkey.
I truly admired his acting ability and voice, and I have always thought he was a fantastic comedian. He really could make hilarious stuff out of a lump of stone, but he chose to be engaged in causes that mattered. I always chided him about the fact that he never did comedy because of his political engagement, even though comedy was his forte.
Genco was such a devoted activist, with a message, always with a mission. I would argue that he was the most involved and engaged person in the theater. He believed in improving humankind.
Nevra Serezli ACG 65: “Genco Was an Extraordinary Teacher.”
Stop the World I Want to Get Off (Durdurun Dünyayı İnecek Var) was where we first met. Genco was already a name in theater and I was new. The play was about politics and took place in Turkey. It was a huge hit, and we went on tours all around Turkey. Everyone learned my name with that role. It was a musical without a microphone, just one piano, live performance, many songs and duets. Genco was an extraordinary teacher. He was also a very good comedian, but he tended towards the political. Being political was his way of thinking. Stop the World wasn’t so political but he adopted it to Turkey and made it so.
We didn’t act together again, but I’ve seen all his plays. Genco was cool, an intellectual, he was always reading. On stage he was a huge actor. He did a couple of films but he didn’t want to do anything on TV.
I like the way he thought, his poetry, the way he looked after himself. It was an early death. I heard he wanted to tour up to the last day. That was Genco.
