Sîpan Sezgin Tekin

The Original

 

6th October @ Het Nationale Theater Zaal 3 in Den Haag

7+8th of October @ Monty in Antwerp

13th of December @ Storytelling Festival Nijmegen

 

Tour: Untill December 2027

Genres: Storytelling, multimedia, socially engaged art

 

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

technical design Mirko Lazović 

director assistant Evin Acar

production assistant Yusuf Bilir

supported by Toneelschuur Producties

Reviews:

“Sîpan Sezgin Tekin confronts his audience in The Original with the complexity of identity. Through a cleverly conceived concept and a touch of humor, the viewer is gradually drawn into his life story. (…) The kaleidoscopic final image of The Original sums it up beautifully.” Theaterkrant on The Original

“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

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.