THE SVETLANA IN ME - How I embraced my Turkish identity in order to play a Russian/Estonian for an American audiencePaperback, 23 December 2008

There are actors of all cultures and nationalities, and when exercising their craft in another culture; that task becomes a challenging experience. The hardest part of this challenge might be realizing and accepting one's personal and cultural differences. For some actors this can result in years of self-struggle, and attempts to either dismiss their culture completely, or fully embrace their own culture and close the doors to any other ways of thinking. Through a personal experience of a Turkish actress in the United States, this book documents a journey from seeing foreignness as a handicap, to the realization that being a foreign actor can have many rewards. A good source for any actor performing for an audience who shares a different cultural background than him/her. Also a beneficial study for every other theatre artist, as the world is getting smaller and our neighborhoods more diverse. Plus, we never know where we might be working next!