New Text Festival 11
NEW TEXT FESTIVAL 11 – “Theatre Beyond Borders”
Organized by GalataPerform, the New Text Festival—Turkey’s only playwriting-focused theatre festival—celebrates its 11th edition this year. The theme of the festival is “Fear.” This year, emphasizing its international dimension, the festival creates a platform under the title “Theatre Beyond Borders,” bringing together Turkish writers and directors with international counterparts. The program features plays, staged readings, and discussions.
COSMIC FEAR OR THE DAY BRAD PITT GOT PARANOIA Staged Reading
Written by: Christian Lollike
Translated by: Leyla Tamer
Directed by: Yeşim Özsoy
Dramaturgy: Ferdi Çetin
Lighting Design: Umut Rışvanlı
Music Design: Gökçe Uygun
Cast: Pervin Bağdat, Özgün Çoban, Emre Yetim
About the Play:
Written and directed in 2016 by Christian Lollike, Artistic Director of Sort/Hvid Theatre (Copenhagen, est. 1972), “Cosmic Fear” humorously, ironically, and politically tackles the topic of eco-apocalypse.
About the Author:
Born in 1973, Christian Lollike is a Danish playwright and director. He has created numerous theatre texts and installations for stage, public spaces, and digital platforms. His works are known for innovation and social relevance, and he has received multiple awards in Denmark. He is currently the Artistic Director of Sort/Hvid.
Supported by: Royal Danish Embassy, Consulate General, Danish Cultural Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Culture of Denmark.
Followed by a panel titled “New Dramaturgies in the Age of Eco-Apocalypse” with Christian Lollike, Yeşim Özsoy, Anders Djurslev, and Ferdi Çetin.
TRUTH RECOGNIZES TRUTH Staged Reading
Written by: Alexander Salzberger
Translated by: Ali Arda
Directed by: Özen Yula
Assistant Director: Şahin Adıgüzel
Cast: Utku Ateş, Toprak Can Adıgüzel, Görkem Doğan
About the Play:
When the #MeToo movement shakes the creative industries, Amir—a famous actor and writer enjoying a comfortable middle-class life—returns to his childhood home to film a documentary on social class and toxic masculinity. As he reconnects with old friends, Amir confronts traumatic memories and unexpectedly becomes the subject of the documentary rather than its creator.
About the Author:
A graduate of the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts (2007), Alexander Salzberger has excelled in theatre, television, writing, and directing. His work “Kicktorske” (2012) was nominated by the Swedish Theatre Critics Association. His play “Truth Recognizes Truth” premiered in 2019 at Stockholm City Theatre. He currently performs at the Royal Dramatic Theatre and is working on two new plays.
Supported by: Consulate General of Sweden, Swedish Research Institute, and Swedish Arts Council.
Followed by a conversation with Alexander Salzberger.
LET’S TRANSCEND THIS Play Premiere
Concept: Reka Collective
Written & Directed by: Aslı Ekici, Rıza Efe Reis
Creative Team & Cast: Ceren Kaçar, Görkem Örskıran
Movement Design: Senay Arslan
Sound Design: Ozan Demir
Poster Design: İzel Go
About the Play:
Berke Kemal dies in the elevator of a home where he takes private lessons. This is the story of İmge and Çağrı, who idolize the lives of the deceased child’s parents and try to claim space on a stage that does not belong to them through mourning.
CANTUS Staged Reading
Written by: Fredrik Brattberg
Translated by: Ferdi Çetin
Directed by: Ahmet Sami Özbudak
Cast: Kerem Pilavcı, Burak Üzen, Cem Şahin, Eren Çiğdem, Nurcan Şirin, Derya Yıldırım, Duygu Pelit
About the Play:
“Cantus” exemplifies Brattberg’s unique absurdist and musically-structured style. The story unfolds during a birthday visit to a father by his children, each bringing commemorative plates from different years. Events spiral out of control as the caregiver insists on the father’s rest.
About the Author:
Fredrik Brattberg, winner of the Ibsen and Ferdinand Vanek Awards, is among Norway’s most performed playwrights. His works have been translated into over 20 languages and staged at major theatres like La Comédie-Française, Théâtre du Rond Point, and Schauspiel Frankfurt. His plays explore the absurd and dark nature of life.
Followed by a conversation with Fredrik Brattber
ELEVATOR
Written & Directed by: Ayda Taştekin
Performer: Filiz Bozkuş Al
Content Consultant: Mürüvvet Esra Yıldırım
Sound Design: Kerem Al
About the Play:
In 1955, Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham developed the Johari Window technique to help people better understand themselves and their relationships. It describes four domains: the open area (known to self and others), the blind area (unknown to self but known to others), the hidden area (known to self but not to others), and the unknown area (unknown to both). This play explores how a hospital elevator, used daily by a terminal cancer patient, leads them into their hidden domain.
SERPENTINE
Written & Directed by: Elmas Eliçe Çetinöz
Cast: Başak Kıvılcım Ertanoğlu, Sezgi Deniz
About the Play:
Can two women who never found their place in a dystopia—cursed centuries ago—begin to question this order? Collective fears evolve over time, and silence is often seen as consent. But when fear becomes reality, can one finally speak out?
THE KEY – Staged Reading
Written by: Furkan Güder, Günsu Özkarar
Directed by: Furkan Güder
Cast: Eray Bekir Mursal, Işıl Yılmaz, Nükhet Akkaya, Sedat Kalkavan
About the Play:
Familiar and unfamiliar fears collide. A walk outside could lead to unexpected danger. In a dark alley on the way home, we fumble for our keys and rush inside. The house, seemingly a refuge, hides secrets: family history, nostalgia, unspoken truths. As architectural historian Anthony Vidler writes, houses may seem safe and intimate, yet they are already haunted by unfamiliar spirits. Once we calm down, the four walls no longer feel familiar. Where are we, really?
CONTACT
Written by: Gizem Kurtulmuş
Directed by: Merve Demirel
Performer: Merve Selsaban
About the Play:
What lies beyond what we see? Does the unseen truly remain silent? Maybe the unseen is silenced for saying something outside the visible. Our deepest fears often hide within. Contact tells the story of a woman on a journey of bodily and emotional discovery, inviting anyone who’s ever felt breathless with fear to witness a moment of awakening.
THE REMAINING
Written by: Itır Karabulut
Directed by: Yeşim Özsoy
Cast: Nilay Erdönmez, Elif Ongan Tekçe, Enginay Gültekin, Kübra Balcan, Suna Keskin
Set Design: Eda Soylu
Music Design: Çağrı Beklen
Costume Design: Şansım Adalı
Lighting Design: Ayşe Sedef Ayter
Assistant Director: Ezginur Köycü
Light Operator: Umut Rışvanlı
Line Producer: Nezih Cihan Aksoy
Production Assistant: Furkan Güder
Poster Design: Burçak Beşlioğlu
Short Film Director (Opening Scene): Özgürcan Uzunyaşa
Script Adaptation: Yeşim Özsoy, Özgürcan Uzunyaşa
Assistant Director: Buse Nur Can
Cinematographer: Ahmed Hamdi Eren
Camera Assistant: Okan Genç
Sound Design & Mix: Eren Dönmez
Editing: Anıl Okçu
Production Photos: Volkan Erkan
About the Play:
One of GalataPerform’s standout productions this season, The Remaining tells the story of five women gathering on a hot day in Adana, in southern Turkey, at a funeral house. Originally awarded “Play of the Year” in the 8th New Text Festival (2019), it features an evolving installation set by visual artist Eda Soylu. The short film opening the piece was directed by Özgürcan Uzunyaşa, recipient of the Jury Special Prize at the Antalya Golden Orange Awards.