2008, 90’

The protagonists of a fantastical notary tale line up in a queue late at night. All the clients want is to obtain copies that are identical to their originals. They are content with the versions of themselves that the system has transformed them into. If one of them had not disrupted the game, they might have lived happily ever after…

Premiering on 21 May 2008 as part of the 16th International Istanbul Theatre Festival, Notary immerses the audience in its world from the very moment they step into the theatre. The audience finds itself inside a notary office, like clients waiting for their turn. The play was staged at GalataPerform during the 2008–2009 season and was later presented at Alte Feuerwache as part of the Akzente Festival in Duisburg, Germany, on 26–27 April 2009, receiving strong interest from both Turkish and German audiences.

The set design transforms the entire performance space into a notary office. This spatial structure, which eliminates the boundaries between audience and performers, makes the viewer a direct part of the narrative.

Set in a notary office—one of the institutions where the individual most directly encounters the state—Notary is built around the gaps, silences, and invisible tensions between the state and the individual. Bringing to the stage encounters specific to contemporary Turkey, the play centers on the cry of the individual who is silenced, suppressed, and ignored. This cry resonates throughout the entire play, especially in its unexpected finale.