I am Alan Ciwan, a Kurdish theatre maker, performer, and sonic artist. My work investigates memory, language, and cultural identity through the mediums of sound, storytelling, and the performer's body.
From 2009 to 2017, I was a core member of Sermola Performans in Istanbul, where I worked as an actor, sound designer, and translator, receiving major acting awards in Turkey including the Theater Critics Association Award for Best Male Actor (2016). Since relocating to Germany, my practice has evolved toward conceptual, research-based performances. As a co-founder and artistic director of Ban Theatre in Hamburg, I created immersive sonic works—such as DÎWAN and took place in QBX – Sad Birds Pavilion—that explore diasporic memory and bridge Kurdish narrative traditions with contemporary form.
I am Alan Ciwan, a Kurdish theatre maker, performer, and sonic artist. My work investigates memory, language, and cultural identity through the mediums of sound, storytelling, and the performer's body.
From 2009 to 2017, I was a core member of Sermola Performans in Istanbul, where I worked as an actor, sound designer, and translator, receiving major acting awards in Turkey including the Theater Critics Association Award for Best Male Actor (2016).
I am Alan Ciwan, a Kurdish theatre maker, performer, and sonic artist. My work investigates memory, language, and cultural identity through the mediums of sound, storytelling, and the performer's body.
From 2009 to 2017, I was a core member of Sermola Performans in Istanbul, where I worked as an actor, sound designer, and translator, receiving major acting awards in Turkey including the Theater Critics Association Award for Best Male Actor (2016). Since relocating to Germany, my practice has evolved toward conceptual, research-based performances. As a co-founder and artistic director of Ban Theatre in Hamburg, I created immersive sonic works—such as DÎWAN and took place in QBX – Sad Birds Pavilion—that explore diasporic memory and bridge Kurdish narrative traditions with contemporary form.
My work as a dialect coach is the direct application of my artistic practice. My journey as a performer gives me an insider's understanding of how an actor embodies language. My experience as a sonic artist fine-tunes my ear for the emotion and musicality of speech. As a director and translator, I focus on how a character's voice serves the story with cultural precision.
When you work with Zarrast, you gain a partner whose entire career has been dedicated to the power of authentic voice.
Since relocating to Germany, my practice has evolved toward conceptual, research-based performances. As a co-founder and artistic director of Ban Theatre in Hamburg, I created immersive sonic works—such as DÎWAN and took place in QBX – Sad Birds Pavilion—that explore diasporic memory and bridge Kurdish narrative traditions with contemporary form.
My work as a dialect coach is the direct application of my artistic practice. My journey as a performer gives me an insider's understanding of how an actor embodies language. My experience as a sonic artist fine-tunes my ear for the emotion and musicality of speech. As a director and translator, I focus on how a character's voice serves the story with cultural precision.
When you work with Zarrast, you gain a partner whose entire career has been dedicated to the power of authentic voice.
