Harbiye_Muhsin_Ertuğrul_Stage
Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage (Turkish: Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Sahnesi) is a theatre venue in the Harbiye neighborhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. It is owned by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and operated by its City Theatres (Şehir Tiyatroları) division.[1] The theatre is named in honor of the Turkish stage actor and director Muhsin Ertuğrul (1892-1979).
The Muhsin Ertuğrul theatre was initially opened in 1964. The old building at the same location was partly demolished to make place for a bigger and modern one.[2][3] Groundbreaking took place on February 14, 2008. The construction cost ₺17 million, and the theatre was reopened on January 14, 2010.[2][3] It is adjacent to Istanbul Congress Center, a multi-level complex, which was built to host the 2009 IMF and World Bank Group Annual Meeting.[4]
The old theatre had lowered its stage curtain after a performance of Keşanlı Ali Destanı (Keşanlı Ali’s Epic), a musical play by the renowned Turkish playwright Haldun Taner (1915-1986). It was also the same musical play that was staged on the reopening of the new theatre venue.[2][3]