2016-2018

Founded in the summer of 2016, Undernational Affairs is an international network of small- and mid-scale theatres that came together to confront the rise of far-right politics, conservatism, new nationalism, and racism across Europe.

The founding partners of the network included Studio Я (Berlin), Experimental Stage / -1 (Athens), GalataPerform (Istanbul), Theatre of Displaced People (Kyiv), Red House Centre for Culture and Debate (Sofia), Theater Neumarkt (Zurich), and Teatru Spălătorie (Chișinău).

Within the project Theater ist Endlich ist Theater, Yeşim Özsoy and Ayşıl Akşehirli represented GalataPerform from Turkey. Bringing together six writers and six directors from six different countries, each representing one of the founding institutions, the project paired participants from different countries to collaborate. Short plays were created within 24 hours: writers completed their texts in eight hours, and directors staged them within the following eight hours.

Performed by the ensemble of Maxim Gorki Theatre, the entire creative process of these works was confined to a single day. Undernational Affairs positioned theatre as a space of international solidarity in challenging times, exploring the possibilities of resistance and coming together.