Memories remain as how you remember: Öykü Karayel & Reha Özcan
A therapy room… A exultant young woman, who have decided to speak with an expert as her last call… A nonplused therapist, facing with a brand new case despite of all his experiences… Milay Ezengin –a young scriptwriter- wrote the play ‘Terk’ and Oyku Karayel and Reha Ozcan are starrings… Floor is theirs for you to get a closer look to the play.
The setting of the play is a therapy room. What does this place mean to you as a performer? Does it make you more creative?
Öykü Karayel: Therapy is based on three things; understanding, listening and proceeding. I believe the only way to understand and emphatise with the character as a performer is based on the similar dynamics. The way she answers the questions during the play, helps us to know her in a more layered way. This is the place where everybody is emotionally bare-naked. To weigh how subconscious events in each layer appear is a little bir hard yet so amusing.
Reha Özcan: As the ‘place’ supports the performer to express him/herself, character keeps taking you to the new areas. This variety already attracts every performer.
Is it okay to say ‘Terk’ is a story about healing? How would you describe your play?
Öykü Karayel: ‘Healing’ is a quite deep concept. As the play demonstrates the couple of hours that characters spend together, it shouldn’t be a longlasting healing. When I first read the script, I considered it much more as a confrontation. Character may have healed for one day, but the time line is more about an evaluation of how shelved emotions can be wearing. As the characters confront with their ghosts in breaking phase, the marks of ‘healing’ phase starts to occur.
“The first stage of depression is ‘denial’ and the last one is ‘acceptance’. There is an enormous anguished journey in between.”
— Öykü Karayel
Story refers to re-building the memories… What would you want to say about this? How do you see ‘memory’?
Öykü Karayel: We all carry our bittersweet memories right next to us. We may not remember the taste of that icecream we ate in the day once our parents reprehended us, but it was probably good… But we do remember the tears. It needs to be a quite powerful feeling for us to carry it throughout our lives. ‘Terk’ shows us even the best memories could turn into something acrid day by day. While we turn the pages of an photo album even if we were so happy in those pictures, since we know that those days will never come back we get emotional… This is something that proves that state.
Reha Özcan: As memories remain as how you remember, different perspectives grow human beings. That feeds the art and aesthetic being questioned by the audience.
“That’s how the truth makes you wrying. Later then, it makes you quite feel good and you want more.” How did you feel when you read this line from the play?
Öykü Karayel: Healing is more of a toilsome and exhausting process. The first stage of depression is ‘denial’ and the last one is ‘acceptance’. There is an enormous anguished journey in between. An emotionally unstable person may not have enough energy to suffer this pain. As you get the guts to address your heartbreaks and find the reality, your healing process starts there.
Reha Özcan: I was into how this line would serve the stage reality, more than how it would impress the audience. There are some senses that need to be heard by the audience in a right way, not to be told as a command. And this line is one of them, a good catalyzer for audience to experience the play.
Why this play?
Öykü Karayel: The way that ‘Terk’ being a bold play with its story and language, really tempted me.
Reha Özcan: Sometimes, part finds you itself, I think this is the case here. I read tons of plays this year, some of them was really good but this one was the catch. I kind of heard my inner voice saying something like “Get the part, get the part…” There is no need to know about everything anyways. (Laughing)
“There are some senses that need to be heard by the audience in a right way, not to be told as a command.”
— Reha Özcan
What would you like to say about performing a young local writer’s play?
Öykü Karayel: This is an honor. And Milay being one of my best friends since the college twices my proud. It is a sad thing that our scriptwriters can be counted on the fingers of one hand… The way she created a such meaningful play, is quite promising.
Reha Özcan: I would be happy to strengthen her words and local play is something that I would be more careful. I’m so happy.
This is the first project that brought you together. How did you two came together and create the rhythm?
Öykü Karayel: As much as the play represents the woman’s perspective, Milay and I think it was more about the man and we agreed that male character is the most significant element. The way he tries to be exist by saying “I am not a bad person, I am me” just right on time, sympathized the character and saves him from being the bad guy, is quite impressive. Only Reha could have performed this character, any other person could have made it all wrong. We both are not selfish, there is always a trade between us on the stage. And this rebuilds the rhythm each and every night.
Reha Özcan: Yes, this is our first project together and I really like it. As I also have another part in a TV series, it wasn’t easy to practice at first. Thanks to the production, they organized the schedule. And with the helps of Aysegul Hardern since past to 2.5 years, my creative process geared up and this is were I am now.
How do you see performing arts in Turkey today? What are the pros and cons?
Öykü Karayel: This geography has lots of story to tell, so we need more local writers.
Reha Özcan: The way how theater became popular and a consumption item, yields the profit of fake ones. This profit is non-sense! It may mislead the producer as well as the audience… As most of the other arts, theater is something that you need to see to widen your vision, not to free your mind like in the TV series… Hopefully, we will be turning back to that reality one day…