Hadi Poyrazoğlu

Hadi Poyrazoğlu — Biography

Hadi Poyrazoğlu was born in 1901 (some sources say 1903) on Mytilene; after losing both parents at a young age, he was raised by his aunt and grandmother. Once his family settled in Istanbul, the Karagöz shadow-puppet screens set up during Ramadan in the Fatih, Aksaray and Karagümrük districts left a lasting impression on him. At nine he began learning shadow play under Karagöz Saffet, later apprenticing with Mehmet Muhittin Sevilen, known as Hayali Küçük Ali.

His artistry was not limited to shadow plays and puppetry: he learned conjuring from the illusionist Hokkabaz Marko, practiced tightrope walking, and performed in the tuluat (improvisational theatre) troupes of masters such as Şevki Bey, Naşit Bey and İsmail Dümbüllü. He toured community centres across Anatolia before settling into regular runs in Adana, Antalya and Ankara, including performances staged for statesmen such as Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, Celâl Bayar and Cemal Gürsel.

After the community centres were shut down, he settled in Ankara in 1951, continuing his shows at the Dörtyol Family Garden, and in 1958 opened the Kukla Kebap Salonu in Cebeci Dörtyol — a venue his grandson Mümtaz Poyraz still runs today under the name Hadi Bey Kukla. Poyrazoğlu also wrote two books titled Kukla Oyunları in 1959-1960, received the UNIMA Traditional Turkish Theatre Service Award in 1996, and died in Ankara on 17 January 2000. An annual International Hadi Poyrazoğlu Puppet and Shadow Play Festival now keeps his name alive in Ankara.