Şinasi Çelikkol

R. Şinasi Çelikkol was born in Bursa in 1947. Since 1988 he has organized Karagöz shadow puppet theater in Bursa. He learned how to perform Karagöz from Metin Özlen, Orhan Kurt, Taceddin Diker and Torun Çelebi. Since 1993 Çelikkol has organized the International Karagöz Puppet and Shadow Theater Festival with a support of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality and Bursa Foundation of Culture, Art, and Tourism. In 1997 he founded UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette) Bursa brunch, where he has served as a director. Çelikkol has also taught how to perform Karagöz to his apprentices since 2000. He has participated in various puppet festivals in Turkey and abroad, and exhibited and performed Karagöz shadow puppet theater.

In addition to it, Çelikkol is a researcher of folk culture. He researches clothes of Turkmen in Balkan and Turkish nomads in Anatolia. Çelikkol has received many awards including an award from Folklore Research Institute (1993), UNIMA honorable award (1997), Istanbul Children Foundation award (1998), and Bursa Rotary Club profession award (2005). Çelikkol currently continues to live and introduce Karagöz shadow puppet theater in Bursa.

Reference: karagozevi.com, karagoztravel.com, unima-usa.org, sehirmedya.com