Artist of eulogy show and
improvisation (B. 1841, Istanbul – D. 1911, Istanbul). Without having an
education, he started the eulogy show in Han Kolu conducted by Hacı Bekçi. He
was known with the role “Kavuklu” in the eulogy show and he was remembered with
this nickname after that. In a short while, he advanced from the apprenticeship
to foreman. He participated to Tiyatroyu Osmaniye but resigned from this place
because of his disagreement with Güllü Agop who was the director of the
community. He spearheaded the emergence of the improvisation theatre with the
plays he staged by founding a community of eulogy show named Zuhuri Kolu (1875).
The community, who became famous in a short time, took the name Hayalhane-i
Osmani. They performed plays in the Theatre of Bella Vista in Beyoğlu and in
gardens and outdoor cafes in many places of the city.
Upon the collapse of the lodges
during a show they were doing in the Şehzadebaşı Theatre of Mehmet Efendi
(1882), he didn’t perform in indoor halls for a long time. He started to make
improvisations again in the Temaşahane-i Osmani Community that he founded
together with Küçük İsmail. The community disbanded after performing the plays
of Afife Anjelik
and Ayyar Hamza. After that, he only dealt with the eulogy show for a
long while; he performed shows in various halls in Şehzadebaşı, Beyoğlu and
Aksaray in the winter and in gardens and outdoor cafes in different places of
the city in the summer. He founded the Meserrethane-i Osmani Community together
with Ali Rıza Efendi in 1897, however, this community disbanded in one year.
He especially performed with characters called “pişekar” (the character who opens the play by talking with the character named kavuklu in the eulogy show) such as Kavuklu Hamdi, Küçük İsmail, Tosun Efendi and Baba Asım. He has more than thirty five tongue twisters that were created from good, surprising and ridiculous statements said by the one who played the kavuklu as an answer to a statement told by the pişekar in the eulogy show.
PLAYS HE PARTICIPATED:
AyyarHamza (1872), Tayyarzade (1875), Talihsiz
Delikanlı (1875), İşkilli Memo (1875), Fettan Çelebi (1876),
İftiradan Halas (1876), Madam Angot'un Kızı (1877), Servet Bey
Hikâyesi (1881), Asılmış Bir Adam (1884), Afife Anjelik
(1884).
REFERENCE: İbrahim Alaeddin Gövsa / Türk
Meşhurları (1946), Büyük
Larousse (c. 11, s. 6535–6536, 1986), Metin And / Kavuklu Hamdi’den Üç Orta Oyunu (1962) - Metin And / Geleneksel Türk Tiyatrosu,
Karagöz – Kukla - Orta Oyunu (1969) - Tanzimat ve İstibdat Döneminde Türk Tiyatrosu
1839-1908 (1972), Niyazi Akı / 19. Yüzyıl Türk Tiyatrosu Tarihi (1963), Mustafa N. Özön - Baha Dürder / Türk
Tiyatrosu Ansiklopedisi (1967), Yılmaz Gruda / Kavuklu Hamdi (2011), İhsan Işık / Ünlü Sanatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C.
5, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).
