Sîpan Sezgin Tekin
The Original
Genres: Storytelling, multimedia, socially engaged art
Tour: April 2026 – December 2027
The Original is a story about a Kurdish family history, wrapped in layers of hidden identity, culture, language and consequently a distorted sense of self. And it is a story about being a migrant artist in the Netherlands, having to perform yourself again and again for a right to exist. To get a job, an apartment, a status, a relationship.
Or maybe Sîpan is portraying all of us, constantly living up to the expectations of others?
In a kaleidoscopic performance of mirrors, videocameras and a murder mystery, Sîpan tears down the layers of identity that surround him, untirable trying to connect us to something real.
Credits:
performance & concept Sîpan Sezgin Tekin
final direction Mesut Arslan
artistic guidance Farnoosh Farnia & Chris Keulemans
technique Mirko Lazović
director assistant Evin Acar
production assistant Yusuf bilir
special thanks to Agat Sharma
supported by Toneelschuur Producties
Reviews:
“Stories express resistance and serve as testimonies of victories. And as long as the struggle for justice continues, Sezgin Tekin will keep spreading and passing on these stories.” – Review of The Mountain by Sîpan Sezgin Tekin in Theaterkrant
“The need for grounding, for being seen and heard from a different perspective, and for conveying that alternative sense of relation, often leads to organizing small-scale exchanges: sharing a meal, listening to someone’s story, or practicing a gentle touch with someone you don’t yet know. The Kurdish creator Sîpan Sezgin Tekin translates that intimacy into a larger performance.” Theaterkrant on Beyond the Black Box Festival 2025
Tour: November 2025 through August 2027
Sîpan Sezgin Tekin (Amed/Kurdistan 1996 – TR/NL) is a multidisciplinary performer and theatre maker whose work explores political and historical narratives through the embodied use of language. Focusing on multilingualism, language physicality, and identity politics, he creates immersive performances that examine the role of mother tongue in shaping identity, performance, and the perception of borders and nationality.
In 2019, Sîpan came to the Netherlands to follow the master’s program in theatre at DAS, part of the Amsterdam University of the Arts.
In the meantime, he has graduated and is making his way as a theatre maker and storyteller.
Sîpan was an artist-in-residence at Theater Frascati (Beginnings – April 2025), where he created an interactive sound installation driven by the urge to find a “universal” performative language for all people. At De Brakke Grond (Beyond the Black Box – January 2025), he performed his graduation piece The Cud, a storytelling performance about the wild mountain goat, a symbol of independence and the identity-less individual. After this performance, his work was also shown in Antwerp, and he was awarded a residency at WP Zimmer in Brussels.
