by Selen Kara, Torsten Kindermann, and Akin E. Sipal

In cooperation with the Grenzlandtheater Aachen

Open-air play in front of the Paderborn city library

What if the economic miracle after the Second World War had taken place not in Germany, but in Turkey? If German guest workers had helped rebuild Turkey – and not the other way around? Klaus Gruber comes to Istanbul from Stuttgart thanks to a recruitment agreement between Turkey and Germany. In hope of a better life, he finds work in the blooming metropolis of Istanbul. But the arrival turns out to be more difficult than expected: the foreign language, the foreign culture, and the people who are not always friendly make life in the new home a challenge.

In scenes in German and songs in Turkish, "Istanbul" tells a tragicomic story about the search for happiness, love, and home. The songs of Sezen Aksu, the founder and grande dame of Turkish pop, give the evening a lightness, but also a nostalgic longing for distance, home, and arrival.

What would happen if the economic miracle after the Second World War occurred not in Germany, but in Turkey? What if German guest workers helped to rebuild Turkey – not the other way around? The play is based on this exciting thought experiment.

With German scenes and Turkish songs, "Istanbul" tells the tragicomic story of the quest for happiness, love, and home. The songs of Sezen Aksu, the founder and great name of Turkish pop, inspire.