Osman Sengezer: 46 Years of Decor and Costume
Prepared by: Tufan Sagnak, Derya Nuket Ozer
"Stage design is in one way a mind-set, in fact it is bound to be, because that is the only way to express externally one’s inner feelings. Decor is not just a thing of beauty, it is a unity of beautiful things brought together for a period in an organized way; this is the essence and true representation of stage design. As can be understood, through his realization of this representation, the designer is the first person to awaken the unprepared and unshaped mind of the audience and give form and direction to their thoughts."
Osman Sengezer: "Bence Dekor ve Kostum", Istanbul 1999.
For more than forty years, Osman Sengezer has been preparing stage design and costume for opera, ballet and theatre. He has put his signature to many stage designs and costumes for a great number of different kinds of shows as well as stage performances, ranging from "Mehmet II" to "Il Trovatore", from "Orpheus" to "Hurrem Sultan", from "Uzundere" to "Mutlu Ol Nazim", from "The King and I" to "Sweet Charity, at the state theatre, opera or ballet in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir as well as Ankara Arts Theatre, Dormen Theatre, Kenter Theatre, Ankara Meydan Theatre, Devekusu Cabaret Theatre and Nisa Serezli-Tolga Askiner Theatre.
Sengezer, who spent some time training to be an architect, says: "Stage design is not a branch of interior decoration. Without a doubt, architectural principles are applied when designing for the stage. But decor, art, sculpture, the fine arts, music, literature, dance, and choreography all come to life at the point when they come together on stage". It is noticeable that the first subject in which a designer for theatre, ballet or opera has to succeed is ‘ understanding’ and ‘interpretation.’ According to Sengezer, the objects used as properties on stage are ordinary things but gain a new identity or purpose in the way the designer sees or shapes them in his interpretation. Another important feature of the decor is the human figure. The inclusion of the human figure in the plasticity of the decor and bodily expression as a feature of the decor, are turned into a unity through trial and testing. Decor is the first point of communication between stage and audience. Decor must be able to preserve an on-going and lively relationship of action/reaction between audience and stage.
Osman Sengezer ‘s inclusive and carefully preserved archives comprise a large part of the history of the Turkish theatre. Utilizing these archives, we present examples of costume and decor from 20 operas, 5 ballets, 18 plays and 5 musicals realized during the period 1966 to 2005.
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Opera
Osman Sengezer became a member of the Ankara State Opera and Ballet Company in 1962 and continued working there until 2005, designing decor and costumes for many performances; his last work being the designs for "Manon Lescaut." Many of the designs he created while working for the Izmir and Istanbul State Opera and...
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Ballet
Dame Ninette de Valois, who established State Ballet in England and Turkey, noticed Osman Sengezer while he was still an assistant with the State Opera and Ballet Company and obtained a scholarship for him to go to England to study ballet staging and costume. Osman Sengezer used the expertise he gained through this...
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Theatre
Osman Sengezer’s interest in the theatre began when he was a schoolboy and later turned into a career to which he devoted his life. Sengezer worked with almost all of the private theatres in Turkey and his designs for stage and costume created throughout his career were exhibited at home and abroad, winning many pr...
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Musical
Musicals produced at the State Opera and Ballet and at private theatres for which Sengezer prepared the costumes and decor were seen in many performances on tour both at home and abroad. In 1970 extracts from the musicals "Yaygara 70" and "Uyy Balon Dunya", which he worked on in partnership with the Dormen Theatre,...
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