It is with profound sadness that the Robert College community bids farewell to the legendary Haldun Dormen. An institution unto himself, Dormen’s impact on Turkish theatrical history as an actor, director, writer, and mentor is immeasurable.
Dormen transferred to RC from Galatasaray Lisesi in Orta. He very much wanted to be involved in theater. Therefore, he applied to the Theater Club, as soon as he arrived at RC. The president of the club at the time was Refik Erduran RC 47, who went on to become one of the foremost Turkish playwrights. It was Erduran who convinced the members of the club to let the newcomer in, so that “he would see how difficult theater was and learn his lesson.”
Soon enough Dormen was on stage with roles such as Olivia in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. His budding directorial instincts were already visible in the production of Campus Follies. Dormen recalled: “The boys wore sheets and pretended to be women for the female parts. At that time, we were supervised by Prof. Dean Allen. When angered, he would shout ‘Go home,’ and freely hand out penalties. It occurred to me that it would be interesting to involve him in the play, so I offered him a part. He accepted on the spot. At one point in the play, as we were dressed up in sheets singing, Prof. Allen would dart onto the stage and shout ‘Go home’ to dismiss us. We loved the joke, and it made us laugh for some time to come.”
After RC, he went onto Yale University to study drama and soon his career took off. He was the first Turkish actor to perform in Turkey after studying abroad. He founded Cep Tiyatrosu and later Dormen Tiyatrosu, modernizing Turkish theater in groundbreaking ways. He worked in TV and radio broadcasting and as a journalist for Milliyet newspaper. He also taught at the Theater Department of Istanbul University State Conservatory for many years. He was instrumental in establishing the Afife Jale Theater Awards in 1977, and it still constitutes one of the most prestigious awards in Turkish theater. He revived one of the Turkish theater classics, the Lüküs Hayat (Luxury Life) operetta in 1984, a production that remarkably remained on stage for over 25 years. In his later years, through his Dormen Academy, he passed the theater bug to new generations. Indeed Dormen never retired and celebrated his 70th year on stage in 2025.
In World Theater Day 2026, the RC community and his many fans feel his absence but will continue to be inspired by this life truly well-lived.
A Tribute to Haldun Dormen From Nedim Saban RC 86
So much has been written since Haldun Dormen’s recent passing; I was deeply touched not only by the content but by the sheer volume of tributes. Indeed, Haldun Dormen impacted the lives of so many.
In making this determination, it must be noted that—aside from a few names like İzzet Günay, Nevra Serezli ACG 65, Suna Keskin, Göksel Kortay ACG 55, Betül Mardin ACG 46, Zeynep Tedü, Tülin Oral, Esin Eden, and Salih Güney from the early periods of the Dormen Theatre (founded in 1957 and now in its third phase after a long mandatory hiatus in 1972)—most have passed. If only they were alive, who knows what stories they would tell.
Haldun Dormen introduced countless innovations to Turkish theater. For me, the most significant was abolishing the role of the prompter, thereby syncing the heartbeat of the theater with the human heart. This innovation gave theater its speed. Dormen himself always spoke fast, walked fast, and worked fast; like an actor who dreads a stagnant stage, he would not allow life to pause for even a minute, even in his advanced years. The morning after an opening night, he would start rehearsals for a new play. I once asked him why, and his response was something like, “If I stop, I die.” The answer was heavy, yet it came out of his mouth like a line from a farce. Indeed, that was Dormen’s most defining trait: playing life like a farce, creating a whirlwind behind the doors that slam shut in rapid succession as the play demands.
İzzet Günay once used the concept of “savoir vivre” to define him. It wasn’t just about “knowing how to live,” but also “savoir partager”—knowing how to share life. Sharing knowledge not just on stage, but in life itself. I believe this is one of the most important gains of being an RC graduate. We delved into that “College spirit” of his in the RC Theater Documentary, of which I am proud to have been a part.
People lacking self-confidence prefer to have as few people—and as little talent—around them as possible; they fear opening up space for others. Yet, “Haldun Abi” succeeded in developing and enriching himself, and maintaining a youthful soul until the end, by opening his home, his life, and his theater to others.
It is certain that he took the “You can do it” (Yaparsın) from the documentary title Yaparsın Şekerim (You Can Do It, My Sweetie) from his RC days. But I truly wonder where he picked up the “my sweetie” (şekerim). The world of art often harbors resentments—especially considering Dormen was the lead actor of a major award organization for a long time—which makes it even more meaningful that he is remembered as being far removed from such ambitions!
Sweetly, he did it, and he made it happen. Without ever taking a cue, he paved his own path; and without ever giving a prompt, he shaped the paths of hundreds!
Haldun Dormen’s voice lives on in the Dorothy İz documentary, where he appears alongside a remarkable group of Robert College stars, including Oya Kaynar Başak ACG 55, Genco Erkal RC 57, and Can Gürzap RA 62.
