IMPROV IN A FORBIDDEN LANGUAGE (KURDISH ACTORS ARE TALKING)

I already shared this story in some organisations; Global Impovisation Initiative Symposium in London, Play, Perform, Learn and Grow Conference in Thessaloniki. Now you can read the summary of Improv In a Forbidden Language here.

I was invited to Diyarbakır to train a group of actors in municipality theater for an improv project, in 2015. It was one of my dreams, one of my goals; starting an improv group in Kurdish language. And it was magical to have a bunch of professional actors who perform in Kurdish for years. We worked for ten days and did a show which was the first Kurdish improv show in Turkey. All the actors and audience were talking Kurdish except me.

Kurdish identity and language had always been problematic in Turkey. I remember my childhood, when talking in Kurdish was forbidden and dangerous, especially in big cities and government buildings. Even Kurdish identity was refused by politicians and some pro-government academics. There were crazy stories about that. Today’s Kurdish youth, spent their childhood in a sort of war. I listened their stories; that they lost their friends shot by bullets of unknown shooters, while they were playing on the street. They witnessed dead bodies on streets, while they were walking on the way to school. Some of them learned Turkish while they were learning reading and writing. Think about that you learn how to write and read in an other language, because their first language was another language which their mothers talk; Kurdish. They grew up and felt in love with theater and started to do theater in Kurdish. Some of them were arrested while they were acting in even Moliere plays. There are many funny and sad stories, think about that, an actor in jail with a costume of a Moliere character.

After 10 days of training and an improv show, I made an interview with participant actors. We created a unique improv show and harvested the wisdom of improv together. Show was in Kurdish but some of the actors were too shy to use their own language in improv. In scripted theater, actors memorize their lines but in improv, actor should take the initiative to create. Some of them used to talk in Kurdish in their childhood but since they started to school they had learn everything in Turkish. As a result they forget to use Kurdish. They understand but haven’t got a courage to use it in daily life.

I would like to share their words;   

• LANGUAGE AWARENESS:

“I use my own language while I was doing theater but I felt the lack of using it in my daily life. I realised the importance of that. After this workshop I am going to prepare a schedule for myself to read our own stories and novels in Kurdish. I used to read them but it was not enough. Just like to read Turkish books, novels, stories; Kurmanci (a Kurdish dialect) should be a part of my life. If I do this thing it should be in my own language because I feel more self esteem in it. We saw some examples during the show; who can use Kurdish fluently created the flow. Because of that language is so important” Gule Özalp Ulusoy

“I can make better sentences. I realised that how I have a grasp of Kurdish language. I managed to express myself on the stage while improvising, despite I believed that I could not use Kurdish properly in my daily life.” Elvan Koçer

“Improv encouraged me especially to use my own language. It showed me that I have valuable knowledge of Kurmanci. I used to refuse that I am capable of using Kurdish, I’ve been blinded of myself. Improv detsroyed the assumption of myself about language.” Bora Çelik

“...at the beginning I assumed that I can not talk in Kurdish. Most of the time we think in Turkish and try to talk in Kurdish, because of that it was impossible for me. I was tending to not to join some improv games. At the end I saw that I can do it.” Rezan Kaya

• THEATER FORMS – DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SCRIPTED AND UNSCRIPTED :

“Improv gave me a different point of view about theater. I was motivated to go out of the conventional theater’s and actor’s mindset and behaviour. This was so important to create a different kind of communication between the audience and us. (Bora Çelik)

“It was the first time that I felt a connection between the audience and us. Eventhough I was aware that they were always there with their apllauses but this time I felt that they are alive and present. I was not neither above nor below them, we were equal. We had a real connection to share.” (Berrin Çelik)

“Before that we could not even see the audience. We were at the backstage, busy with our own stuff. But this time it was different; we had a real intimacy with them. Leyla Batgi

• TEAMWORK :

“Improv process builded a new kind of trust between us; both on the stage and off the stage.” Vural Tantekin

“It was an awesome experience for me. There was no level differences, both beginner and experienced actors were together. This gained us motion and energy. I was happy with what we did. I earned self esteem again and this is so important for me.” Berrin Çelik

“I learned how to control my ego and to make my brain work in different ways. I experienced that how can a communal practice be valuable, energetic and productive. We have never thought like that before this workshop. We used to try to show off with our egos. But in this workshop; I was always trying to find a possitive way or an idea to support my friends.” Gule Özalp Ulusoy

“ There is no main role, I experienced that on the stage. There is no best, no worst!” Berrin Çelik

• TRADITION :

“Dengbej is a Kurdish storytelling style. There are both storytelling and singing, and even some mise an scenes in the style... our audience is familiar with the style but adapting it into the improv show was was one of the climaxes of the show.” Rüknettin Gül

• SELF ESTEEM :

“I believe that our actors have better self esteem now.” Rüknettin Gül

• CREATIVITY :

“I write scripts. This experience will help me to think in different ways, create more alternatives, find different point of views.” Vural Tantekin

“To be more creative, do the first thing comes on your mind! I learned that.” Elvan Koçer

• COMMUNICATION :

“We can talk about our memorized thoughts and cliches that stuck in our subconsciouse. I believe that this will help with our theatrical practice.” Yavuz Akkuzu

“The connection with the audience was transformed into a different kind of energy... Everything was spontaneous. Personally I felt the transformation, both spritually and mentally.” Rugeş Kırıcı

• BODY AWARENESS :

“Actually I recognized myself. Especially when Koray discovered that I was a left handed in my childhood... This was one of the reasons of my confusion. Sometimes I felt insufficent but sometimes I felt totally opposite.” Berrin Çelik

“I had a problem; too much control... because I did not trust my friends... then I started to stop my brain and aware of my body and do something with it...” Rezan Kaya

“I learned how to use my body with fun... free from logic and mind, I saw the reflection of my feelings on my body.” Ayşe Sır

• DEMOCRACY :

“Improv workshop reminded us the value of equality and democracy.” Leyla Batgi

• THERAPHY:

“We were doing a forbidden theater. We were doing it in Kurdish, in so called stages at basement floors. There was always an apprehension of raid. Actually they were raiding periodically. In a word, in those times improvisation was a kind of therapy for me. Probably, we were doing self therapy by improvisation in those kind of traumatic days.” Kemal Ulusoy