In Korhan Basaran’s new play, Nico Dorigatti tells of the pain of a broken world as a metaphorical fallen angel. Moving, disturbing, speechless.
A variety of artistic forms of expression merge to create a unique, touching theatrical experience that goes beyond language. The story is deeply moving: a figure appears – a metaphor for a fallen angel with broken wings – it is a biblical presence, alive. It bears witness to the injustice and violence of the world and weeps. This strange messiah carries urgent messages for humanity – messages born of grief, resilience and the search for meaning in broken times.
Korhan Basaran, Turkish dancer, performer and choreographer, has shown his work worldwide and – with enthusiastic reception from audiences and the press – also at the Wortwiege Festival 2023. After the solo performance “Dido – Queen of Carthage”, he returns to the Wortwiege Festival with a character that he first brought to life years ago. Today, in collaboration with Nico Dorigatti and Ataman Girisken, he reinterprets it against the backdrop of our contemporary world.
Performance: Nico Dorigatti
Concept and direction: Korhan Basaran
Visual Design: Ataman Girisken
A production by Company RAu in co-production with Wortwiege as part of the SEA CHANGE initiative.
Korhan Basaran
Korhan Basaran is a dance and theatre artist based in Istanbul. In the eleven years (2008-2019) he spent as an artist and performer between New York City and Istanbul, he gained transformative experiences in various international multidisciplinary contemporary dance projects. His works with his company RAu seek to reflect an aesthetic approach to the most vulnerable, but also strongest, most determined and instinctive element in human beings in order to challenge both performers and audiences to a previously unimagined transformation. In addition to America and Turkey, his works have been commissioned and performed in Denmark, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Armenia and Austria. Company RAu’s latest creation “Dido” was inspired by the myth of Dido and Aeneas and has been performed in Austria, Greece, Bulgaria, the UK, Italy and Turkey. It continues to be requested for festivals around the world. He is currently playing a leading role in the production “Dracula” in Turkey, which is entering its second season. In collaboration with his artistic partner Ataman Girisken and the inspiring performer Nico Dorigatti, he is creating the new play “BROKE’N; an odd Messiah”, which will premiere at the Wortwiege Festival 2026.
korhanbasaran.com
Nico Dorigatti
Nico Dorigatti was born in Lower Austria in 2001. He studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. After completing his studies, he began a master’s degree in physical theatre at the Accademia Dimitri in Ticino. Parallel to his studies, Nico Dorigatti has worked internationally as an actor, director and author. He has worked on theatre projects in Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, China and Turkey. He has performed in theatre, dance and opera productions at the Burgtheater Vienna, the Theater in der Josefstadt, the Theater Freiburg, the Vereinigte Bühnen Bozen, the Wortwiege Festival, the Schlossspiele Kobersdorf and many others. Since 2017, he has been writing, directing and developing independent, cross-genre theatre productions in Lower Austria, such as “Septemberfeuer”, “Nikolaos” and “Featherman trifft die Gespenster”. Last summer, he appeared on stage at the Lausitz Festival as Heiner Müller in the acclaimed production “Müller & Müller”.
Ataman Girisken
Ataman Girisken studied computer engineering in Istanbul before completing a master’s degree in London. Upon his return to Turkey, he began to combine his academic background with visual art, focusing on generative visuals and interactive art. His projection designs, developed in collaboration with the company RAu, merge with performance art on international stages in cities such as Vienna, Thessaloniki, Brighton and Boston. His visuals have been presented both in Turkey and abroad and featured in several biennials in Turkey. His artistic work combines technology and sensory experiences by merging traditional elements and inspirations from nature with digital aesthetics.
© Saygin Mavinil, in the AIR program of Studio Mahal for Broke’n: an odd Messiah
