Şekibe Gençay Gürün (born 1932) is ürüa Turkish art director, diplomat and politician.

Early years

Gencay Gürün was born to Fahri and his spouse Naime in İstanbul in 1932. She graduated from Lycée Français Sainte Pulchérie Istanbul, Lycée Notre Dame de Sion Istanbul and the School of Law of Ankara University. She went to England for a Master's degree in International relations and Diplomacy at the London School of Economics. She returned to Turkey and began serving in the Foreign Ministry. She served in the Common Market Department and later was appointed consul in Paris, France. In 1967, she married Kamuran Gürün (1924–2004), an ambassador and abandoned her diplomatic career. Due to her husband's occupation, she stayed in Bucharest, Romania and Athens, Greece.

Gencay Gürün

Theatre

In 1976, the couple returned to Ankara, and in 1979 Gencay Gürün began serving in the Turkish State Theatres as the secretary general and the chief dramaturge. In 1984, she moved to İstanbul to serve as general art director of Istanbul City Theatres. In 1994, she retired from the public service. The next year, Gürün founded her own theatre "Tiyatro İstanbul". In her theatre, she was both a translator and director.

Gencay Gürün

Politics and later

Gürün joined the True Path Party (DYP), and by the 1995 general election held on 24 December, she was elected as a deputy from İzmir Province in the 20th Parliament. However, on 19 October 1996, she resigned from her political party. Although she briefly joined the Democrat Turkey Party (DTP) on 14 July 1997, she chose to be independent on 12 November 1998. She did not run for a seat in the parliament in the next term.

Gencay Gürün

Her husband died in 2004. She is currently a member of High Commission of the Press Council.

Director

She directed the following plays: Pierrette Bruno: Le Charimari ( ) Bernard Slade: Same Time, Next Year () Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy: Lily & Lily ( ) Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy: Peaux de vaches () Oscar Wilde: An Ideal Husband () Neil Simon: Chapter Two () Neil Simon: The Odd Couple (Female Version) () Jasmina Reza: Art () A. R. Gurney: Sylvia Marc Camoletti: Pyjamas Pour Six () Kressmann Taylor: Address Unknown ()

Awards

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government

Honorary doctorate from Boğaziçi University

Avni Dilligil The Best Director AwardThe Woman of the Year by the Turkish Women Association Muhsin Ertuğrul Special Prize''

References

Living people

1932 births

Diplomats from Istanbul

Lycée Notre Dame de Sion Istanbul alumni

Ankara University Faculty of Law alumni

Alumni of the London School of Economics

Turkish women civil servants

Turkish civil servants

Turkish women diplomats

20th-century Turkish women politicians

Democrat Party (Turkey, current) politicians

Deputies of Izmir

Members of the 20th Parliament of Turkey

Turkish theatre directors

Turkish women theatre directors

Turkish translators

Turkish theatre owners

Recipients of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

21st-century Turkish women politicians