Hans Dev Sharma

Mehmet Birkiye is a theater actor. He entered Istanbul University's Faculty of Economics in 1969. Around the same time, he also entered the Istanbul State Conservatory, graduating in 1974, and the Faculty of Economics in 1975. Since 1977, he has been teaching stagecraft and acting at the Istanbul State Conservatory. He began his professional acting, directing, and lighting design career in 1973 with the Kent Players, and he continues these activities to this day. During this time, he has acted in over twenty plays by authors including A. Chekhov, A. Miller, A. Fugard, N. Simon, T. Williams, E. O'Neill, N. Cumalı, G. Sümer, and A. Ağaoğlu, such as "Lütfen Kızımla Evlenir misiniz", "The Seagull", "The Play's the Thing", "The Lieutenant of Inishmore", and "Two Lives Later". He has worked with directors such as Sergey Kokovkin, Arthur Hausman, Aleksandr Galin, and Yücel Erten. He directed the plays "The Bald Soprano", "Name It Yourself", "Distances", "Ramiz and Jülide", "Maria Callas" with Yıldız Kenter, "There Was Always Love" with Yıldız Kenter, "Helen-Helen", "The Lover of Donkey Mountain", and "Scheherazade". He also served as assistant director for Yıldız Kenter in many plays. He acted in "Young Indiana Jones," directed by British director Michael Newell and produced by James Cameron. He played in 96 episodes of the TV adaptation of Selçuk Kaskan's radio play "Uğurlugiller" for TV1. He acted in the TV series "Yaz Evinde," which aired on TRT1 for 100 episodes. "Stepfather", "Our Passage", and "The Stranger in the House" are some of the other series he has appeared in. He directed poetry and music recitals at İş Sanat, which are still ongoing. In 2002, he became a Professor in the Acting Department. He founded, designed the curriculum for, and managed the "Stage and Performing Arts Management" department at Beykent University's Faculty of Fine Arts. He continues to teach "Acting" and "Stagecraft" at Istanbul University State Conservatory and various private universities.