Did we see a play, movie, opera performance in Turkey in 2020?

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the state agency producing official statistics on Turkey, has released the "Cinema, Theatre, Operas, Ballets, Orchestras, Choirs and Groups Statistics, 2020."

The statistics of the Institute shed light on the culture and arts scene in Turkey in 2020, when several performances and events were cancelled after March following the first COVID-19 case seen in Turkey.

The highlights from the statistics are as follows:

Nearly 70 percent drop in cinema audience

In 2020, the number of movie houses decreased by 4.5 percent compared to 2019 and was 2 thousand 698. During this period, the number of seats in the movie houses decreased by 6 percent to 317 thousand 763.

The number of cinema audiences in Turkey decreased by 69.5 percent in 2020 compared to 2019 and was 17 million 226 thousand 952.

While the number of national productions' audience decreased by 59 percent to 13 million 255 thousand 849, the number of foreign productions' audience decreased by 83.6 percent to 3 million 971 thousand 103.

Drop in productions

The number of movies shown in 2020 decreased by 62 percent compared to 2019 and was 25 thousand 960.

In the same period, the number of national productions shown decreased by 62.2 percent to 10 thousand 978, while the number of foreign productions shown decreased by 61.9 to 14 thousand 982.

Theater

In the 2019/'20 season, the number of theatre halls decreased by 20.1 percent compared to the 2018/'19 season and the number of theatre seats decreased by 24.5 percent. Number of the theatre halls was 720 and the seating capacity was 267 thousand 857.

Compared to the 2018/'19 season; the number of performances performed in theatre halls decreased by 40.4 percent to 20 thousand 175.

The number of performances for original shows performed in halls decreased by 41.9 percent and the number of performances for translated/copyright shows decreased by 35 percent compared to last season.

43-percent drop in theater audience

Compared to the 2018/'19 season; the number of shows performed in theatre halls decreased by 36.3 percent to 6 thousand 236 in 2019/'20 season. The number of original shows fell by 35.7 percent and the number of translated/copyright shows fell by 39.8 percent compared to last season.

In the 2019/'20 season, the number of theatre audiences decreased by 43.1 percent compared to the 2018/'19 season and was 4 million 492 thousand 293. The number of theatre audiences for original shows decreased by 44.1 percent and the number of theatre audiences for translated/copyright shows decreased by 40.3 percent compared to last season.

Children shows: 37.9-percent decrease

Compared to the 2018/'19 season; the number of adult shows performed in theatre halls decreased by 34.9 percent and the number of children shows performed in theatre halls decreased by 37.9 percent. 

In this period, while the number of performances for adult shows performed in theatre halls decreased by 36.9 percent, the number of performances for children shows decreased by 44.6 percent to 8 thousand 446.

The number of audiences for adult shows dropped by 40.6 percent and the number of audiences for children shows dropped by 46.8 percent.

Opera and ballet

The opera and ballet shows affiliated to General Directorate of Opera and Ballet were performed in 6 provinces

In Turkey, the opera and ballet shows affiliated with the General Directorate of Opera and Ballet were performed in 6 provinces in 2020. On the other hand, there were 6 orchestras, 13 choirs and 9 groups affiliated to the General Directorate of Fine Arts in 2020.

The number of opera and ballet audiences was 256 thousand 63 in the 2019/'20 season, with a decrease by 20.5 percent. The number of audiences in orchestra, choir and groups was 159 thousand 969 in the 2019/'20 season, decreasing by 41.9 percent compared to previous season.

The number of orchestra audiences decreased by 29.5 percent to 100 thousand 260 compared to last season, while the number of choir audiences decreased by 48.5 percent to 26 thousand 96 and the number of groups' audiences decreased by 59.3 percent to 33 thousand 613.

The number of shows performed in opera and ballet halls decreased by 7.8 percent to 165 in the same period. 89 of these shows were national shows and 76 of them were foreign shows.

National shows were exhibited 246 times, while foreign shows were exhibited 255 times. Foreign shows were followed by 134 thousand 405 people, and national showsby 121 thousand 658 people. (AÖ/SD)

* Source: TurkStat