Based Istanbul Welcomes: Hakan Kurtaş & İbrahim Çiçek

In the play “Ben Çoktan Gidersiniz Sanmıştım,” we encounter Hakan Kurtaş’ performance and İbrahim Çiçek’s successful direction, which question the meaning of being, fears, the disappointments of a child’s dreams, the essence of life, prejudices, courage, and the concepts of heaven and hell. Thom Pain, greeting us with “How nice to see all of you here,” takes us on a profound journey, leaving us alone with the question marks it leaves behind.

Among the reasons for choosing this play, İbrahim Çiçek states that he wanted to add something to himself, including, “I was working on many mainstream plays, and I was looking at play scripts where I could try a different area within myself. This script was one of them. Its structure was different. It had a different structure from classical theater plays. It tells the story of the contemporary concern; fear.”

İbrahim Çiçek, who acted as a supporting force for Hakan Kurtaş, focusing not only on his performance but also on his mind, and leaving Hakan alone when necessary during the preparation process, says, “This is an actor’s play, and I am accompanying Hakan on this journey.”

As we delve deeper, we discover what Hakan Kurtaş learned from the play. Focusing on courage and the connections in the play, Hakan finds pleasure in playing the game, reminiscent of the joy of playing hide and seek as a child. “You start to enjoy it like when you played hide and seek as a child; you believe that you can be found at any moment. It’s a pleasure, the joy of playing.”

Thus, with Hakan and İbrahim, we finally step into the biggest issue of our time; existence. İbrahim, stating that everyone asking, “Am I here?” is in a state of questioning, brings us together with Hakan to a common point where these feelings and searches are entirely related to humanity, to universality. In the end, we find ourselves being pulled toward the black hole of “Ben Çoktan Gidersiniz Sanmıştım” staged at Zorlu PSM, a play that questions life, contains details, and sometimes frightens, sometimes amuses.

Creative Direction by Duygu Bengi
Filmed by Umutcan Öncü
Content Editor Ceydanur Demir

Music by Salih Alkan