The Livaneli Stage continues to host impressive plays and brand-new performances this season that we won’t want to miss. “Secrets Everyone Knows,” which has been on my “must-see” list for a long time, recently went on a tour of Bodrum and was staged at Inspera, Ortakent’s arts hub. Let’s take a moment to talk about the characters who are trying to fit all their secrets into a single night after their marriage…
Adapted for the stage from the film *Great Solitude*, directed by Ferhan Şensoy and Sezen Aksu in the late 1980s, the play takes place in the living room of the couple’s home as they’re in the process of moving out following the end of their marriage. Boxes filled with belongings, furniture wrapped in plastic, and rugs rolled up and waiting to be taken away. This atmosphere is already showering us with seeds of unease even in the prologue. It’s just like that—a home that’s been your haven for years suddenly feels cold once it’s packed up with boxes and crates; it grows distant—it’s no longer a home, but just an apartment. The play begins with precisely this feeling. The boxes hide not only the belongings inside them but also the traces of the past and hidden memories. And you, in your seat as an audience member, slip into a state of anxious anticipation.
The play is built around a long, winding conversation—one that touches on women, men, gender roles, the concept of family, but most of all, identity. We witness how director Edip Tepeli has skillfully adapted this text—written 35 years ago—to the present day with clever staging and extraordinary boldness. It’s not hard to imagine that both the actors and the director anticipated the audience would be deeply stirred by this performance. This is likely why their use of sudden yet gentle transitions to ease tension at its peak—transforming the play into a journey full of stomach-churning moments and sweet excitement, much like a roller coaster ride—is worthy of applause.
The fact that the characters in the play have no names serves as a driving force for you to develop deep empathy with them. In fact, at this point, it’s possible to view the play from a gender-neutral perspective—not as a conversation following a failed marriage, but rather as any relationship you’re struggling to extricate yourself from.
Aside from the sparse and infrequent instances of masculine dialogue and a few repetitions here and there, *Everyone’s Secrets* is exceptionally well-crafted—a game that remains fluid and maintains its tension despite its lack of action. Of course, Ayşecan Tatari and Emir Çubukçu’s ability to establish the rhythm of these two contrasting characters with effortless precision also plays a major role in this success. In addition to the simple yet striking set design amplifying the story’s weight, we witness firsthand how the songs composed by Sevda Deniz Karali can heighten the dramatic impact with subtle touches.
Let me conclude this discussion of *Everyone’s Secrets* with a question. But the question isn’t mine—I’ll quote from the promotional text. I think it’s well worth pondering, and even debating. Whether you’ve seen the play or not…
“Love is what remains after falling in love has ended,” says Dr. Iannis in *Corelli’s Mandolin*. “But what if what remains after falling in love has ended doesn’t match the idea of love in our minds?”