Celebrating difference: "Turkish Theatre" in the Chicago World’s Columbian exposition of 1893

Abstract

This thesis examines Turkish Theatre and its performances during the Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Methodologically, the research adopts two primary sources, the Turkish Theatre: Souvenir Programme, and Musavver Şikago Sergisi, and also published memoirs of observers who witnessed the Exposition. The thesis attempts to provide an overview of recent research on the analysis of the world’s fairs, where both theatricality of the overall event, and the accompanying Orientalist gaze have been analyzed. Given the fact that international exhibitions provided a certain architectural and theatrical representation capacity for the Orient, the thesis attempts to understand how “Turkish Theatre” had been conceptualized for this event. Architecture provided an authentic setting and a visual summary of the represented culture displaying mosques, baths, caravanserais, cafés, houses and shops in a compact “pavilion”, where the presentation of everyday life was displayed through theatricality, dramatization of artisanship, display of regional and national costumes and of performances of theatre, ethnic music and local dances. The Turkish Theatre was directed by Pierre Butros Antonius, a Christian Arab from Mount Lebanon. There were 65 actors and actresses in total and 20 stockholders in the Ottoman theatre, all gathered by agents sent to different parts of the Empire to study the customs, manners and costumes and to engage these players from different cities of the Ottoman lands. The performers were presenting their shows to the American audience in the Arabic language with simultaneous English translations. The Turkish Theatre performances included the plays of the Kurdish Drama, the Kalamounic Drama, True Manhood, An Oriental Wedding in Damascus, the Drama of Antar the Son of Sheddad, the Drama of Haroun Al-Raschid, the Turkish Bride and the Prodigal Son. The spectators could understand these plays unlike the other theatre plays of the Eastern countries, such as the Chinese and Javanese theatres which were held only in the native languages. Based on published reviews and memoirs, the thesis attempts to historically visualize this unique Ottoman experience at the turn of the nineteenth century.