ARUCAD Acting Department Brings Its First Graduates to the Stage

The first graduates of the Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) Acting Department met with the audience at the Bandabuliya Stage with performances they prepared within the scope of the OYNC402 Graduation Project and Portfolio course.

The graduation projects, prepared under the guidance of ARUCAD Acting Department Head Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgün Can Karaburun, allowed students to share the artistic approaches and staging skills they developed throughout their education with the audience.

The play "Pillowman," staged on May 21, 2026, was directed by Yalın Doğasal, a student of the Acting Department. Written by Martin McDonagh in 2003, the play focuses on a writer living under a totalitarian regime being interrogated by two detectives; it attracted attention with its dark narrative centering on themes such as violence, childhood trauma, and freedom of expression.

On June 16, 2026, "New Year, New Me," a one-man performance by Ersan Çıkı, reinterpreted Gogol's immortal short story "The Overcoat" through the lens of contemporary digital culture. The production, which portrays the existential struggle of an information technology specialist lost in the digital media crowd, centers on live streaming culture, social media validation, and the desire for visibility, while questioning the loneliness behind the slogan "New Year, New Me."

Also performed that same day, "The Insect," by Selin Çolak, was a contemporary one-man interpretation based on Tracy Letts' play of the same name. Shaped around the theme of paranoia, the production focuses on the individual's mental disintegration and their fragile relationship with the outside world; its layered structure, oscillating between narrator and character, blurs the lines between reality and perception.

The performances, attended by academics, students, relatives of alumni, and art lovers, showcased the creative approaches to contemporary theatre and the original productions developed throughout their education by the first graduates of the ARUCAD Acting Department.