Our Team

Mert Fırat

Chairman

He graduated from the Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography, Department of Theatre. Since 2005, he has taken part in many films, plays and TV projects. Fırat, who is the co-founder of moda sahnesi, Bursa SanatMahal and DasDas, voluntarily works with different associations and foundations on social responsibility projects. He is among the founders of the NeedsMap.Coop and he actively participates in project designing, planning and operating processes. Mert Fırat is also known for his voluntary work in sustainable development. In 2017, he has become the first UNDP (The United Nations Development Programme) Goodwill Ambassador in Turkey.

Gülhan Kadim

Vice Chairman

Gülhan Kadim was born in Germany in 1976. She graduated from Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Mining, Department of Geological Engineering. Between 1993 and 2000, she performed as an amateur in the Fine Arts Department Theatre Group at ITU. She is one of the founders of Altıdan Sonra Tiyatro (1999), Kumbaracı50 (2009) and TOMİ Education Center (2017). She took part as an actor in many of the productions of Altıdan Sonra Tiyatro and Kumbaracı50.

She directed the plays “Bekleme Salonu” and “Barzo ile Konserve” at Altıdan Sonra Tiyatro, one of the five episodes in the “Vur-Yağmala-Yeniden” project at Nilüfer Municipality City Theatres, the play “Bir Terennüm” produced by Orchestra Content and the plays “Tek Kullanımlık Hikaye” and “Yan Dünya” at Kumbaracı50. “Yan Dünya” is the first play she wrote.

Gülhan Kadim, who currently serves as General Coordinator at Kumbaracı50, also carries out the planning and organisation of TOMİ Training Center’s training and workshop programs and is among the instructors of the “Ondokuzotuz” after-work theatre course. She curated the guest country Türkiye section of the “Heidelberg Stückemarkt / 2019” Festival. She has been working as a curator for the Theater an der Ruhr “Szene Istanbul” selection since 2019. She served as a member of the Ethics Committee within the Theatre Cooperative for 3 terms (2021-2024).

Muharrem Uğurlu

Vice Chairman

Muharrem Uğurlu graduated from Dumlupınar University, Department of Public Administration. He took part in the establishment of Kütahya Şehir Tiyatrosu, and he worked there as an actor and director for 5 seasons. He served as the General Art Director of Kütahya Şehir Tiyatrosu between 2007-2009. He founded a private theatre in Istanbul in 2009, and also staged plays as a travelling theatre. In 2013, he earned a master’s degree in acting at Bahçeşehir University. In 2014, he founded Asmalı Sahne, which is located in Beyoğlu, with his classmate Petek Kırboğa. He directed Asmalı Sahne’s productions “Godot’yu Bekleyeni Beklerken”, “Aut”, “…’lı Kadınlar” and “Manastır” and also acted in them.

Burak Satıbol

Board Member

Burak Satıbol was born on May 25, 1979 in Bursa. He completed his primary and secondary education in Bursa and entered Ankara University, Faculty of Language, History and Geography, Department of Theatre in 1998. He is among the founders of Mahşer-i Cümbüş theatre company. He took part in many films, TV series and television projects such as İşler Güçler, Düğün Dernek, Çalgı Çengi İkimiz, Anında Görüntü Show. He currently works as an actor and artistic director in Mahşer-i Cümbüş.  

Eyüp Emre Uçaray

Board Member

Eyüp Emre Uçaray was born in Üsküdar in 1983. In 2001, he started performing  as an amateur at the Yıldız Technical University Theatre Club. In 2008, he participated in the “Contacting The World” Festival within the scope of the Liverpool Capital of Culture with the theatre sıfırnoktaiki which he was a founding partner. In 2010, he took part in the foundation of ikincikat on Istiklal Street. In 2012, he was awarded the ‘Most Successful Young Director of the Year’ Award by TOBAV. He graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University, Department of Stage and Performing Arts Management, Field of Performance in 2014. His main works include directing plays such as “Altı Buçuk”, “Aut”, “Işıltılı Hareler”, “Koleksiyoncu” and “Yeraltından Notlar”. He also took part as an actor in the plays “Tetikçi” and “Pitchfork Disney: Korku Tüneli”. He continues his education, research and directing activities at the new stage of ikincikat, which he co-founded in Kadıköy in 2022.

Hakan Silahsızoğlu

Board Member

Hakan trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England. He worked at Talimhane Theatre as an actor as well as producer and coordinator in national and international projects including EU projects. He was member of Yapi Kredi Afife Jale Theatre Awards Jury in Istanbul between 2012-2018 theatre seasons. He’s been a global fellow at International Society of Performing Arts (ISPA) between 2016 – 2018. Hakan is in the selection committee and board of International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) which is the most prestigious congress in the world regarding performing arts for children. He is at the board of International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (Assitej) Turkey. Hakan is the founder and director of Atta Festival, Turkey’s only international arts festival for babies and children. Hakan is the head of children’s theatre department at Watermans Arts Centre, London’s leading cultural centre.

Vildan Güleç

Board Member

She graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University Department of Comparative Literature, and completed her master’s degree on Turkish Language and Literature at Boğaziçi University. She was a member of Istanbul Bilgi University Department of Comparative Literature Advisory Board between 2017-2022.

As one of the founding actors of Yeni Asır Newspaper Youth Theatre, her experience in theatre began on stage. In 2017, she combined her past experiences with her playwright identity and founded Wise Akademi. She wrote the first “Parent-Children Theatre” plays which are bilingual – in other words appealing to parents as well as children. With the aim of providing psycho-social education for parents and children by using the healing power of art, she developed parent-children theatre plays approved by an independent Academic Advisory Board and complementary after-play workshops conducted by psychologists.

Currently, she stages parent-children theatre plays at Wise Akademi, writes parent-children plays and storybooks, provides trainings, conducts workshops and activities focusing on children’s linguistic development.

Fisun Eşki

Secretary General 

She graduated from Marmara University, Faculty of Communications, Department of Radio, TV and Film in 1997. She worked as an assistant director at different national TV channels between 1993-1997. Between 1997-2004, she took on diverse roles in the fields of advertising and public relations. Between 2005-2018, she directed the operation, quality, customer satisfaction, sales and sales support processes at different education companies. She has been working at the Theatre Cooperative since 2018.

Sinem Aydın

Communications and Project Associate

Sinem was born in Istanbul in 1992. She graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 2016. She began volunteering in non-governmental organizations during her student years. After completing her legal internship in 2017, she worked as a Legal Consultant for 1.5 years at the Initiative for Freedom of Expression. Between 2019 and 2022, she contributed to the services of the Human Resource Development Foundation in the field of refugee rights, working as a Protection Officer, Legal Advisor, and Project Coordinator respectively.

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