Turkish-Swedish co-production of ‘Seven’ at İstanbul festival

The Swedish-Turkish co-production, directed by Hedda Krausz Sjögren, will be staged Wednesday at the Kenter Theater.

Written by seven well-known female playwrights -- Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith and Susan Yankowitz -- the documentary play has been staged in 11 countries by Sweden’s touring national theater company Riksteatern since it premiered in 2009.

The play is based on interviews these award-winning playwrights conducted in 2007 with seven women who fight for women’s rights in seven countries, from Afghanistan to Guatemala and from Russia to Nigeria.

Each production of “Seven” involves different actors (a group made up of activists, thespians, politicians, etc.), and the İstanbul Theater Festival production will feature actresses Derya Alabora, Zeliha Berksoy, Meral Çetinkaya, Ayça Damgacı and Esra Dermancıoğlu, and journalists Can Dündar and Mehveş Evin.

The play was also staged in 2010 in İstanbul, at the Muammer Karaca Theater, with a different cast. The 75-minute play is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Kenter Theater.