The curtain rises, the story becomes goodwill

The first spark came from an idea by Dr Saadet Garan. When she shared it with Özlem Abacı, professional stage experience and volunteer enthusiasm found a real starting point. With Dr Hakan Ünsal coordinating the work, the idea soon became tangible: the aim was to build not simply a production, but a lasting company able to express Rotary's ideal of service through the living language of theatre.

Afra Şirin, Rabia Aslı Doğan, Bahar Alparslan, İpek Suat Güneş, Mustafa Kemal Işık, Selda Ejderoğlu and Turgay Papakçı formed the founding acting ensemble. Under the artistic direction of Özlem Abacı, every detail was developed patiently, from table reads and character work to movement, voice and stage traffic. The team protected the excitement of an amateur spirit while working with professional discipline out of respect for both the stage and the audience.

Our first major stage journey became visible with the musical play Sakın Geç Kalma Erken Gel. What began with reading rehearsals grew through role work, blocking, costume, music, technical preparation and transitions tested repeatedly. The actors' different professions and Rotary clubs were not obstacles; they became part of the production's richness and energy.

RotArt Theatre completed the 2025-2026 season with five performances and reached a total audience of 1,877. Each performance created a new hall, a new audience circle and a new chain of solidarity. From Caddebostan Cultural Center to the Irmak Schools stage, these gatherings showed that the work had both artistic and social meaning.

The effort built on stage was connected to social-impact work in child oncology, mother-and-baby health, neonatal support, accessibility and special education. The performance for the Mother and Baby Health Foundation and the collaboration with Istanbul Atlas Rotary Club are visible examples. Contributions raised through RotArt's work have approached one million Turkish lira, showing how applause can become a concrete outcome when it is connected to the right purpose.

The acting ensemble later grew with Elif Callan and Can Gedik. Bringing RotArt Music soloists and theatre actors under the same roof naturally softened the boundary between music and theatre. Today, RotArt continues as one stage community: sometimes carrying the character of a play, sometimes the collective voice of a concert.

New plays, musical ideas and the ambition to meet more audiences in more cities now lie ahead. What we want to protect as we grow remains unchanged: friendship, the work done in the rehearsal room, respect for the stage and the wish to leave a real act of goodwill behind every performance. The RotArt Theatre story is still being written by every new actor, audience and social-impact project.