AEMS: Publications

Directed by Pelin Esmer. 2005. Turkey. 70 minutes.

Study areas: Turkey, performing arts, theater, community, gender roles.

theplay

“To me, life is theatre. Everyone around me plays different roles. In my life, I’ve played many different roles.” These are the opening lines of Pelin Esmer’s documentary, The Play, which is set in Arslanköy, a mountainous village in southern Turkey, in 2003. The film tells the story of nine women who form a village community theater group with the assistance of the school principal, Mr. Huseyin, to take on the roles of characters based on their own lives in a play titled “The Outcries of Women,” written by Mr. Huseyin. At the outset of the film, the group’s lead organizer, Ummuye, describes the work that the women in her village do to provide for their families. They are maids and nannies, housewives and mothers; or they do work also done by men: carrying firewood, and working in the fields or as shepherds. Like the characters of a play, the women in the village play different characters in life. But how will the people of the village receive the play on opening night? How do women negotiate all of these roles publicly? Will participating in the play change how the women view themselves and create better situations for them in their homes and in their daily lives in the village? The film beautifully shows how a creative project can cause a community to reconsider the norms of gender and class relations.

“The Outcries of Women” is a composite of the various experiences that the nine women have suffered, and it ends with a message of hope. The drama and tragedy of the women’s stories – of walking to a hospital to give birth alone, of not being able to afford needed medicine, of being forced to quit school to marry, of living with an abusive partner – is tempered with humor, banter and quibbles about who should play which role and of the work of memorizing lines and becoming confident on stage. How the women juggle the rehearsals with their daily roles and responsibilities is also depicted. One woman has guests who have come from out of town, so she must miss the rehearsal. Ummuye scolds her for this, saying, “My dear, you don’t understand. This play is a matter of life and death!” The novice actresses finally have a stage and platform from which to speak of their experiences and grievances, but at what cost? At an attempt at anonymity, the names of the characters in the play are changed. Still, the women’s stories are familiar enough to be recognized in the village. One woman says she hopes that her in-laws will recognize that the play features her story and will in turn feel guilty about their treatment towards her. The play offers an opportunity for the women to come together in solidarity to speak about issues that concern them and imagine a different future for the next generation.

With humor and lightless, the women relate the roles they are playing to the experiences they’ve had in real life. A woman who has worked all of her life as a man herding sheep plays the role of a man. Another plays the role of a man who runs away with a young woman to marry. She says that she is well suited for that role because she ran away with her husband to marry. Another woman offers to play the role of a drunken husband because she says that she knows how a drunken husband acts. Finally, Ummuye gets to play the role of a school girl, although she was never allowed to finish school. “Finally I’ll wear a school uniform at 47 years old,” she says.

The film depicts not only the dynamics between the women, but also between them and husbands and children. One husband cuts his wife’s hair so that she may play the role of the man. Another husband explains that although he drinks he loves his wife deeply. The play gives the women a chance to act out and display their self-worth and also question their daily treatment in their homes. One woman explains that her young son misses her at home and complains about her going to the rehearsal. Ummuye admonishes her, saying that she is favoring the child because he is a boy, and that it is up to them to break the cycle of male dominance in their community. Incidentally, the woman admits that since she has started participating in the play, her husband has not hit her. Participating in the theater could have very real consequences on how the women view themselves and the norms that their families and community accept.

The film closes on opening night of the play. The women have memorized their lines and speak confidently from the stage as the audience of men, women, and children intently watch. A cigarette passes back stage as one woman exits and another enters. The play has told the story of Edime, a fictitious character based on all of their lives. Her first beating came from her father, while she was still in her mother’s womb, and her last came from a police officer as punishment for wanting to act in the school play. The play returns full circle to the women’s lives. From the last lines of the play, we can see that voicing their experiences has been a transformative experience in the women’s lives. “This theatre will not end. We suffered it, our children will not suffer it. We will work, we will succeed. We are human beings, human!”

This film would best be suited for use in a high school or undergraduate world cultures, geography or sociology class. Students may be able to make comparisons about the perceived and socially accepted gender roles in rural and urban societies and think about how similar roles are played out in their own societies and families. Pre-service teachers and other educators would also appreciate the value that basic education in all societies is attributed in this film. If placed within this context, students could discuss the types of choices that education may afford young people in villages such as Arslanköy as well as in urban areas.

Angela Williams is the Associate Director of the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and a doctoral student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, Global Studies in Education division at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research has focused on hip hop music and culture in the Arab world, specifically in Egypt. She is interested in the intersections of popular culture, education policy, gender, race and global studies. Her dissertation will explore the lived experiences of Arab female rap artists and their implications on education policy.

For more information about The Play, or to view the trailer, visit the film's Vimeo page.

Last updated: July 8, 2015.


	The Play Directed by Pelin Esmer. 2005. Turkey. 70 minutes. Study areas: Turkey, performing arts, theater, community, gender roles. “To me, life is theatre. Everyone around me plays different roles. In my life, I’ve played many different roles.” These are the opening lines of Pelin Esmer’s documentary, The Play, which is set in Arslanköy, a mountainous village in southern Turkey, in 2003. The film tells the story of nine women who form a village community theater group with the assistance of the school principal, Mr. Huseyin, to take on the roles of characters based on their own lives in a play titled “The Outcries of Women,” written by Mr. Huseyin. At the outset of the film, the group’s lead organizer, Ummuye, describes the work that the women in her village do to provide for their families. They are maids and nannies, housewives and mothers; or they do work also done by men: carrying firewood, and working in the fields or as shepherds. Like the characters of a play, the women in the village play different characters in life. But how will the people of the village receive the play on opening night? How do women negotiate all of these roles publicly? Will participating in the play change how the women view themselves and create better situations for them in their homes and in their daily lives in the village? The film beautifully shows how a creative project can cause a community to reconsider the norms of gender and class relations. “The Outcries of Women” is a composite of the various experiences that the nine women have suffered, and it ends with a message of hope. The drama and tragedy of the women’s stories – of walking to a hospital to give birth alone, of not being able to afford needed medicine, of being forced to quit school to marry, of living with an abusive partner – is tempered with humor, banter and quibbles about who should play which role and of the work of memorizing lines and becoming confident on stage. How the women juggle the rehearsals with their daily roles and responsibilities is also depicted. One woman has guests who have come from out of town, so she must miss the rehearsal. Ummuye scolds her for this, saying, “My dear, you don’t understand. This play is a matter of life and death!” The novice actresses finally have a stage and platform from which to speak of their experiences and grievances, but at what cost? At an attempt at anonymity, the names of the characters in the play are changed. Still, the women’s stories are familiar enough to be recognized in the village. One woman says she hopes that her in-laws will recognize that the play features her story and will in turn feel guilty about their treatment towards her. The play offers an opportunity for the women to come together in solidarity to speak about issues that concern them and imagine a different future for the next generation. With humor and lightless, the women relate the roles they are playing to the experiences they’ve had in real life. A woman who has worked all of her life as a man herding sheep plays the role of a man. Another plays the role of a man who runs away with a young woman to marry. She says that she is well suited for that role because she ran away with her husband to marry. Another woman offers to play the role of a drunken husband because she says that she knows how a drunken husband acts. Finally, Ummuye gets to play the role of a school girl, although she was never allowed to finish school. “Finally I’ll wear a school uniform at 47 years old,” she says. The film depicts not only the dynamics between the women, but also between them and husbands and children. One husband cuts his wife’s hair so that she may play the role of the man. Another husband explains that although he drinks he loves his wife deeply. The play gives the women a chance to act out and display their self-worth and also question their daily treatment in their homes. One woman explains that her young son misses her at home and complains about her going to the rehearsal. Ummuye admonishes her, saying that she is favoring the child because he is a boy, and that it is up to them to break the cycle of male dominance in their community. Incidentally, the woman admits that since she has started participating in the play, her husband has not hit her. Participating in the theater could have very real consequences on how the women view themselves and the norms that their families and community accept. The film closes on opening night of the play. The women have memorized their lines and speak confidently from the stage as the audience of men, women, and children intently watch. A cigarette passes back stage as one woman exits and another enters. The play has told the story of Edime, a fictitious character based on all of their lives. Her first beating came from her father, while she was still in her mother’s womb, and her last came from a police officer as punishment for wanting to act in the school play. The play returns full circle to the women’s lives. From the last lines of the play, we can see that voicing their experiences has been a transformative experience in the women’s lives. “This theatre will not end. We suffered it, our children will not suffer it. We will work, we will succeed. We are human beings, human!” This film would best be suited for use in a high school or undergraduate world cultures, geography or sociology class. Students may be able to make comparisons about the perceived and socially accepted gender roles in rural and urban societies and think about how similar roles are played out in their own societies and families. Pre-service teachers and other educators would also appreciate the value that basic education in all societies is attributed in this film. If placed within this context, students could discuss the types of choices that education may afford young people in villages such as Arslanköy as well as in urban areas. Angela Williams is the Associate Director of the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and a doctoral student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, Global Studies in Education division at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research has focused on hip hop music and culture in the Arab world, specifically in Egypt. She is interested in the intersections of popular culture, education policy, gender, race and global studies. Her dissertation will explore the lived experiences of Arab female rap artists and their implications on education policy. For more information about The Play, or to view the trailer, visit the film's Vimeo page. Last updated: July 8, 2015.		In This Section: Newsletters Lesson Plans List of K-12 Resources Online Film Reviews > New Reviews > Reviews by Title > Reviews by Author > Reviews by Newsletter Issue Website Reviews Notes From the Classroom Interviews