Aşk (Liebe) Lost In Translation

"Aşk" is about love and the process of falling in love; as something that could not be more universal, beyond cultural differences, always and everywhere seems to be the same. And yet it could not be lived more diversely and differently, depending on place—place of residence or birth—, time, age, language and world views. Ayşe Kalmaz and Kemal Dinç have seen the traces of this diversity, the contradictions and the similarities reflected in literary texts, films and musical works from the so-called East and the so-called West. And in collaboration with the actors Sinem Süle and Aydın Işık, they have followed these traces for the stage in a playful, dialogical and musical process.

Director and writer Ayşe Kalmaz, born in 1984 in Izmir, gained her first experience in a three-year collaboration with Prof. Adolf Winkelmann for the video-art project "FLIEGENDE BILDER". She completed her first cinema documentary film "DÜGÜN - Wedding in Turkish" in 2015. Since 2020, she has directed various participatory projects at Junges Schauspiel of Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. In 2021, she curated the series "Werkstatt des Wir". Currently the focus of her work are an international artistic research project on "Third Culture - Third Space", and the production "Lysis-Structure".

Kemal Dinç, born 1970 in Istanbul, is one of the most important players of the Bağlama instrument family. In his compositions, he places Anatolian melodicism in an unusual polyphonic context, and gives it a contemporary-modern character. Kemal Dinç plays with various ensembles (Duo Bourdun, Drama Ensemble), and with classical symphony orchestras (Mannheim, Cologne). Dinç has released several albums since 2006. In 2022 he was awarded WDR's Jazz Prize.

The play is a unique composition with bilingual texts (German and Turkish with translations into both languages), for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The music is composed by Kemal Dinç as a fusion of traditional Anatolian music and European classical works, as well as works by troubadours and cowboys who could be considered "Western Aşıks" and even rap-inspired beats that allude to rappers as contemporary "Ozans", folk poets of our time. The performance by Sinem Süle and Aydın Işık is informed by renowned choreographer Justo Moret.

A room in the Theater im Depot will be set up so that the children can stay there during the performance. There are opportunities to play and rest there. The children will be supervised by two professional caregivers.

With: Sinem Süle, Aydın Işık

Artistic Direction, Text, and Mise-en-Scène: Ayşe Kalmaz, Kemal Dinç
Text, Musical Composition, Musical Direction: Kemal Dinç
Choreography: Justo Moret
Technical Direction: Jens Scheiwe