Hadi Poyrazoğlu

Hadi Poyrazoğlu — Biography

Hadi Poyrazoğlu (1901, or 1903 according to some sources, Mytilene – 17 January 2000, Ankara) was a Turkish shadow play and puppet performer, tightrope walker and tuluat (improvisational theatre) actor.

He moved to Istanbul when his father, a civil servant, was reassigned there. After losing his mother and father at an early age, he was raised by his aunt and grandmother. The Karagöz shadow plays and puppet shows staged during Ramadan in Istanbul's Fatih, Aksaray and Karagümrük districts made a deep impression on him. At only nine years of age he began learning shadow play under Karagöz Saffet, and later continued his training with Mehmet Muhittin Sevilen, known as Hayali Küçük Ali.

After starting to perform shadow plays, Hadi Poyrazoğlu also learned the art of conjuring from the illusionist Hokkabaz Marko. He performed as a tuluat actor in the troupes of Şevki Bey, Ahmet Bey, İsmet Fahri Bey, Naşit Bey and İsmail Dümbüllü. On his own, he staged shadow play and puppet performances at community centres in various provinces, and on a permanent basis in Adana, Antalya and Ankara. He performed shadow plays and puppetry for important political leaders of the period such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, Celâl Bayar and Cemal Gürsel.

When the community centres were closed, he stopped organizing shadow play and puppet shows in the provinces and settled in Ankara in 1951. There he began performing shadow plays and puppetry at the Dörtyol Family Garden. Poyrazoğlu, who also served as the venue's manager and presenter, opened an establishment called Kukla Kebap Salonu in Cebeci Dörtyol, Ankara, in 1958, after the deaths of his assistants Kemal Şakrak and Kemal Derebeyoğlu. Following Hadi Poyrazoğlu's death, his grandson Mümtaz Poyraz renamed the place Hadi Bey Kukla to keep his grandfather's name alive and continues its activities. In 1959 and 1960 he also wrote two books entitled Kukla Oyunları (Puppet Plays).

In addition to shadow plays and puppet shows, he practised conjuring and tightrope walking, and acted in tuluat companies.

In 1996 he was awarded the "UNIMA Traditional Turkish Theatre" Service Award for his contributions to the art. Hadi Poyrazoğlu died on 17 January 2000 in Ankara.