A play with an irregular rhythm—where everything goes wrong, but still goes on!
Yeşim Özsoy’s Limping Tales from Istanbul which received the Cevat Fehmi Başkut Award for Best Play Script at the 2006 Afife Theatre Awards, is a work structured around the notion of aksak (irregular) rhythm—derived from Ottoman music traditions—and explores its influence on sound, text, and performance.
The play consists of twelve interconnected characters, each delivering fragmented monologues that together form a mosaic of stories. The internal rhythm of the narratives mirrors the aksak rhythm system found in Turkish classical music. Through contrasting concepts such as flow/disruption, symmetry/asymmetry, and harmony/dissonance, the play offers a poetic exploration of the harmony within irregularity.
Performed on twelve distinct pedestals, the aesthetic of the production draws from the Ottoman storytelling tradition of meddah storytelling and the performance art of Gilbert & George’s Singing Sculptures. With body percussion crafted under the guidance of Tugay Başar, the direction blends irregular rhythm with theatrical form in a unique staging approach.
Written & Directed by: Yeşim Özsoy
Sound & Rhythm Direction: Tugay Başar
Set & Costume Design: Başak Özdoğan Pirim
Lighting Design: Ulaş Yatkın
Art Direction: Genco Gülan
Cast
Yaman Ceri (Cihat)
Alev Cınbarcı / Buket Yanmaz (Alev)
Nükhet Akkaya (The Teacher)
Barış Tecimen (The Aging Inspector)
Mark Levitas (Demir)
Abdül Süsler / Şahin Irmak (Deniz)
Özlem Saraç / Nurgül Uluç (Yağmur)
Somer Karvan / Sedat Kalkavan (Mr. Calm)
Burcu Tekin (Kerime Hanım)
Sanem Öge (Özge)
Kıvanç Ergun (Ms. Inertia)
Batur Belirdi / Murat Akdağ (The Taxi Driver)
Performance Venues (in order of staging):
AKM Aziz Nesin Stage, Akatlar Cultural Center, Cologne Experimental Stage, ENKA Stage, Kenter Theatre, Ankara Yeni Sahne