Arda never knew his father. The only thing connecting him to him is a small black mark under his left eye—his "father mark." Arda is barely in his early twenties, lying in intensive care with organ failure, and time is running out. Time he has wasted with his friends and time that the German authorities have taken from him. His mother and sister haven't spoken a word to each other in ten years. Now they meet daily in the hospital, and Arda is literally caught in the middle. In the time he has left, he writes a letter to his father, Metin. He wants him to know everything about the life of the broken family in Germany that he left behind to return to Turkey. He wants him to no longer be unable to know who Arda was. In his acclaimed debut novel, Necati Öziri weaves a family saga in which mother, daughter, and son try to overcome loss and—even without passports—find their own place in Germany. Bassam Ghazi, together with people from Cologne, creates a fast-paced evening about farewell, longing, migration and family.

Father's mark

Schauspiel Köln

Imagine the world were a village. Imagine peace reigned there. Now imagine night falling over the houses and the streetlights shining. Picture it clearly. Behind the windows, people were eating their bread and drinking their tea. And the children were reading peacefully in bed before their father kissed them and their mother turned out the light. Now imagine a shadow creeping across the deserted village square. And there, in the greenhouse, plants grew menacingly—and on the altar lay an ominous book containing holy scriptures. And a package full of uniforms appeared as if from nowhere before the fence. And then a strange song sounded in the sky. Picture it clearly—like a crack in the firmament. Imagine it drawing people from their beds, and together they gazed up at the sky. And with hearts pounding in their chests, they wondered what was approaching them. An angel? A drone? A deadly missile that burns and destroys everything? We're at the beginning of a great story. There is no fatherland and no reason for murder and war. And everyone lives only in the here and now. Imagine that. It's easy if you try. Welcome to IMAGINE.

Michael Gööck

Events

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Apr 24, 2026

Father's mark · Bühnen Köln

3 - 25 May, 2026

Imagine · Bühnen Köln

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