Veteran theater actor Genco Erkal, founder of Dostlar Theater in Ankara, passed away from leukemia on July 31 at the age of 86. He was renowned as the “master of one-man plays.”
Dostlar Theater announced the news on its official account early in the morning with an emotional message, stating, “Goodbye my friends, goodbye…”
Born in Istanbul on March 28, 1938, Erkal graduated from the Psychology Department of Istanbul University. Starting in 1959, he worked as an actor and director for numerous prominent theater groups in Türkiye, and in 1969, he established Dostlar Theater, where he served as the artistic director.
Erkal directed plays by international writers such as Gorki, Brecht, Sartre, Peter Weiss, Steinbeck, and Havel, as well as works by Turkish writers including Aziz Nesin, Haldun Taner, Nâzım Hikmet, Refik Erduran, Vasıf Öngören, Orhan Asena, and Can Yücel. He adapted novels, stories, and poems into plays, translated plays, and wrote the documentary play “Sivas 93.”
He starred in award-winning and festival-favorite films, including “At,” “Faize Hücum,” “A Season in Hakkari,” and “A Heart of Glass.” He also directed and acted in Haldun Taner’s famous musical play “Legend of Ali of Keshan” for the state television TRT.
Throughout his career, he was repeatedly named the leading actor and best theater director. In 1982 and 1983, he won the Golden Orange Award at the Antalya Film Festival twice as the best actor. He also received numerous lifetime achievement and honorary awards.
