Karagöz Everywhere by Turkish American Arts Society of New York
Karagöz Everywhere Project is a proud initiative of Turkish American Arts Society of New York (TAASNY) that started in 2016 with the vision of expanding the scope and horizon of traditional Turkish Shadow Theatre nationally and internationally; hence “Karagöz Everywhere”. Our mission is simple: to introduce and engage as many people as we can with Karagöz, and spread the magical experience of the “dream curtain” to audiences from all around the world. With this mission in mind, we started forming a Karagöz Team that consists of various artists, scholars, puppeteers, and academicians from around the world. Karagöz Everywhere strives to perform the highest quality of entertainment to promote understanding, tolerance, and communication across the diverse mosaic of our society through arts.
Historical and Cultural Relevance
Karagöz Shadow Puppet Theatre is a lasting tradition and an invaluable cultural legacy for the world. It is in fact recognized by UNESCO as the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2009. Karagöz Shadow Theatre is considered as one of the most important branches of traditional Turkish Theatre.
Developed during the early years of the Ottoman Empire and making its way along the old Silk Road routes, east and west, Karagöz theater and Karagöz puppeteers became familiar and beloved sites from Istanbul to Tashkent, Kashgar and beyond.As ambassadors from an age long past, Karagöz, Hacivat and their friends have the ability to powerfully cross cultural borders and touch the hearts of people who might never have had the chance to meet them. A Karagöz Puppet Show is fresh and alive- not in any way a dusty, faded memory from a museum storeroom- with seven hundred years of grand tradition behind it ready to meet the needs and expectations of a modern audience. Focusing on the two main puppets, Karagöz and Hacivat, a traditional Karagöz shadow show was first and foremost fun and entertaining and almost always carried a moral or a hint for right living. The audience can expect to laugh, learn, and appreciate this cultural treasure. Today, Karagöz shadow puppet theater is no less valuable or necessary as a tool of cultural understanding than it once was; perhaps even more so. Laughter is an indispensable universal medicine, and Karagöz shadow theater is both a tangible and intangible treasure that has lasted for more than seven centuries. It now has the potential to be a gift to the world. A Karagöz Puppet Show gives not only children, but people of all ages the opportunity to experience and understand the cultural diversity of the puppets, the importance of compassion, and living in peace with your neighbors. We offer these puppets as a bridge to cross cultural understanding and as a powerful means to help diminish and destroy hate, bigotry, and fear in the hopes of contributing to a more peaceful and compassionate world for all humanity.
What is Shadow Theatre?
Shadow play which is also known as shadow puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment which uses flat articulated cut-out figures (shadow puppets) which are held between a source of light and a translucent screen or scrim. The cut-out shapes of the puppets sometimes include translucent color or other types of detailing. Various effects can be achieved by moving both the puppets and the light source.
