First Lady | Turkey
Written by Sedef Ecer
Translated by Amelia Parenteau
Directed by Anna Bahow
In partnership with
Synopsis
First Lady is a satirical romp through the last vestiges of power for a dictator’s wife in a crumbling banana republic. Originally written in French by Sedef Ecer, First Lady premiered in 2016 in France as a coproduction between the Théâtre du Peuple and the Opéra de Metz, directed by Vincent Goethals, and was published in French in 2016 in L’Avant-Scène Magazine. Amelia Parenteau translated First Lady into English in 2019, and Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre (PICT) produced its English-language premiere in Pittsburgh in October 2025.
First Lady takes place in an imaginary country run by an old, cowardly dictator. The titular First Lady is on vacation in her summer palace, far from the capital and her husband, the President, when protests take over the streets and spread throughout the country. As the situation worsens, the President escapes, so the Minister of Propaganda decides the First Lady will have to reassure the public. Live on national television, she speaks about her fight for human rights, her luxurious lifestyle, and her palace’s zoo, which shelters rare animals. Gradually, as the protests near the summer palace, the First Lady becomes obsessed with finding a way to escape while still saving her gold bars, master paintings, precious jewelry, and compromising documents. Only her Chief of Staff, Personal Advisor, and the animals in the zoo remain at the palace with her to witness her demise. This tragically timely play speaks to the delusive nature of power, corruption, and cronyism in a scathing, hilarious critique of this liminal moment in global politics.
Playwright - Sedef Ecer
Translator - Amelia Parenteau
Director - Anna C. Bahow
Playwright - Sedef Ecer was born in Istanbul, and is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who works in Turkish and French. Her debut novel, Trésor national (JC Lattès, 2021; Livre de Poche, 2023), won the Prix du Festival du Chambéry and was a finalist for the Prix François Billetdoux and many others. Her plays have been produced and received staged and radio readings at international festivals, in public and private theaters in France, and abroad, as well as in public spaces, such as cafés, libraries, and schools. They have also been taught in middle and high schools and at university theater departments (including Columbia University, the University of California Berkeley, Sciences Po Paris, Queens College, the Sorbonne, and the University of the Peloponnese), and translated and published in several countries. Winner of numerous prizes and grants, she was included in the Universal Dictionary of Creatives in 2014 (UNESCO). She is a member of the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques, a founder of the Parlement des Écrivaines Francophones, and was included in the Universal Dictionary of Creatives in 2014 (UNESCO). www.sedefecer.com
Translator - Amelia Parenteau (she/her) is a writer, French-to-English translator, and theater maker based in Washington, D.C., whose work explores the intersections of art, culture, and social justice. An alumna of Sarah Lawrence College, she has worked with the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut; the French Institute Alliance Française, New York International Fringe Festival, Ping Chong + Company, TCG, The Lark, The Civilians, The Park Avenue Armory, and Voyage Theater Company in New York; ArtSpot Productions, Intramural Theater, and No Dream Deferred in New Orleans, Louisiana; People's Light in Pennsylvania; and Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. She has translated twenty plays by authors such as Penda Diouf, Eva Doumbia, Sedef Ecer, Alain Foix, Leslie Kaplan, David Lescot, Guy Régis, Jr., and the Théâtre du Soleil. Bylines include: American Theatre Magazine, BOMB Magazine, Contemporary Theatre Review, Culturebot, and HowlRound. Amelia is a board member of the Fence International Translation Network and a member of the American Literary Translators Association and the Theatre in Translation Network. Her full portfolio is available on her website: www.amelia-parenteau.com
Director - Anna C Bahow is a Chicago-based theatre director, producer and new play dramaturg. She is committed to the development of new work and a diversity of voices. Drawing on her design and visual arts background, she often expands the theatrical experience through design, multimedia, live music, and movement. She is an Artistic Associate with Silk Road Cultural Center which foregrounds Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern artists and an a founding Associate Artist with The International Voices Project which brings plays from around the world in translation to Chicago. Bahow has received an After Dark Award for her directing, and her productions have received Chicago JEFF Awards for New Work and Use of Multimedia. She served as a Michael Maggio Fellow at the Goodman Theatre, is recipient of a 3ARTS WAVE Grant, and several Illinois and City of Chicago Individual Artist Grants. As an educator, she has taught workshops at several universities and created programming that has served international audiences promoting global understanding and volunteerism. More about her work can be found at AnnaBahow.com