Talk
Chamber Talks
Breaking the Archive’s Silence
Armenian Women Actresses on the Ottoman Stage
Duygu Dalyanoğlu and Esra Dicle
31 March 2026 / 18:30
In the nineteenth century, when Muslim-Turkish women were forbidden from appearing on stage, Armenian women actresses were the founding subjects of Ottoman theatre. Drawing on her doctoral dissertation, Duygu Dalyanoğlu re-reads the experiences of pioneering figures such as Arusyak Papazyan, Yeranuhi Karakaşyan, and Azniv Hraçya as "embodied labour" rather than "divine talent," moving beyond the myth of innate gift. Against this backdrop, archival documents are brought to bear on the question of how Armenian women forged an artistic identity on stage, backstage, and off stage within Istanbul's multi-cultural theatrical milieu.
The talk will offer a broad panorama spanning the celebrated venues of Pera, the demolished theatres of Gedikpaşa, the new possibilities opened up by tours to Edirne and Tbilisi, and the silence of actresses erased from the archive upon becoming wives or mothers. Constructed through first-hand testimonies and Armenian-language periodicals, this "counter-archive" study invites a rethinking of Ottoman modernization through the bodily agency of women performers. With Assoc. Prof. Esra Dicle joining as discussant, the conversation will turn to the work's contributions to theatre historiography and gender studies.
The talk will take place on the ground floor of the Istanbul Research Institute. Admission is free, and no reservations are required. The event will be conducted in Turkish, and simultaneous interpretation will not be provided. A recording of the talk will subsequently be published on the Istanbul Research Institute’s YouTube channel.
About Chamber Talks
Chamber Talks initiated by the Istanbul Research Institute (İAE) in 2008 to add a different dimension to Istanbul studies, aims to feature the latest research and discussions about Istanbul with its scope ranging from history to architecture, and from music to cinema.
About Duygu Dalyanoğlu
Duygu Dalyanoğlu is a theatre artist and researcher. She completed her undergraduate studies in Political Science and International Relations at Boğaziçi University in 2009, and her MA in Cultural Studies at Istanbul Şehir University in 2016. In 2026, she completed her doctoral dissertation, “The Experience of Armenian Actresses During the Establishment of European-Style Theatre in the Ottoman Empire,” at Kadir Has University’s Women’s Studies programme. A professional performer and playwright since 2009, she has worked with the Boğaziçi Performing Arts Ensemble and on independent projects. Her research focuses on Ottoman theatre history, feminist methodology, and gender in theatre. She has written and performed in two original plays centered on the lives and writings of Zabel Yesayan and Sevgi Soysal.
About Esra Dicle
Esra Dicle holds BA, MA, and PhD degrees in Turkish Language and Literature from Boğaziçi University. Her doctoral dissertation on the role of People’s Houses theatre in the construction of Kemalist ideology was published by İletişim Yayınları. Her second book, Ben Yüz Çiçekten Yanayım / Nâzım Hikmet Tiyatrosunda Metinler-Türler-Söylemler, was published by İmge Kitabevi. She has also edited two volumes for Dergâh Yayınları: Edebiyatın Duygu Haritası and Osmanlı Sahnesi—19. yy Çok Dilli Osmanlı Komedyasından Üç Metin. She has been an Associate Professor at Boğaziçi University since 2005, where she teaches Turkish language courses alongside seminars on modern theatre, adaptation theory, and theatricality.
