Yel

by Ahmet Sami Özbudak

In May 2019, as part of the project series “Basecamp TR / DE”, Frank Heuel together with Sami Özbudak developed the idea for the piece “Yel”, which is set in the Istanbul district of Balat. There used to be a large Greek Orthodox community there, which now has only a few members. Some of the remaining families take care of the churches, their gardens and perform guard duties. Sami Özbudak spoke with them about their lives and experiences – then and now. Many of the stories in the play are based on her narratives. The result is a play about farewells and departures, life’s dreams and lies, which could have happened anywhere, including here.

With “YEL _ parallel theater in Bonn and Istanbul” we conceived a project of a new form of collaboration during the pandemic, in which artistic teams would work in Bonn and Istanbul and which would at the same time feature essential cornerstones of a real collaboration – artistic cooperation, exchange between the artists during the production, performances in both countries. “Yel” was to be played in Bonn and Istanbul in parallel. In the process, live digital circuits were to create connections during the performances. But at the time of the premiere, the performances could not be held simultaneously due to a curfew in Istanbul, and live broadcasts were not possible.

 


Sponsored by: Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.