MehMet the conqueror 09-06-2012

My design of Mehmet was based on a lot of research of 15th, 16 and 17th turkish court costume and beautiful but naive illustrations from travellers of the 18th century.I avoided the cliche of the harem/belly-dancer kind of costumes, because somewhere I read that men and women were actually dressed alike. All the big dresses/mantles are based on the same pattern. The actors are playing many parts except for Mehmet and there were 3 completely different sets in a very big 2000 m2 shed. To make it not overtly historical the actors wore white con-temporary clothes but with the pants tucked into socks, so it looked like harem pants. The Ikat silks and velvets I found in Istanbul on my last research day. All the other fabrics are bedspreads from Ikea, so a subconscious layer of modern time is put in the costumes.

review quote Volkskrant 13-06-2012:“... for the eyes Mehmet is a party: the by Carly Everaert designed glorious robes and headgear – a bit of Istanbul, a bit of Ikea-are dazzlingly beauti-ful.”

creditsScript: Ad de Bont who won “de taalunie toneelschrijfprijs” for Mehmet and the Kaas and Kappes script awardDirector: Liesbeth ColtofSet and lightdesign: Guus van GeffenCostume-design: Carly EveraertMusic: Vincent van WarmerdamPhoto credits: Sanne Peper

Press-releaseTell me the story of the other and I know who I am. Mehmet the Conqueror is an exciting Royal drama about the Turkish Prince Mehmet II, who on his 12th year became sultan of the mighty Ottoman Empire. This trip back in time, leads from Palace to desert, from the Vatican to Con-stantinople. Three compelling parts interspersed with Turkish dining make Mehmet the Conqueror a party for the whole family. Who is that stub-born boy who became the terror of the west? Growing up in the harem of his father, watch his brothers die, who speaks six languages fluently

and has an almost insatiable appetite for power? And who is that stranger from Rome, which is as young as Mehmet and one day crosses his path? Against a historical background of the struggle between East and West two boys, despite all the differences, try to reach each other. The theatre marathon Mehmet the Conqueror is about fathers and sons, betrayal and love. With a brand new poetic text, a colourful, large ensemble and a spectacular design it creates a unique theatre experience. With as final an event whose echoes still sounds: the conquest of Constantinople.