The online panel titled “Creative methods for a new discourse (2): Staging migration,” which took place within the scope of the project Towards a New Discourse and Dialogue, was held at 18:00 on Monday, 21 September 2020. Under the moderation of academician Emine Fişek from Boğaziçi University, Sedef Ecer and Roula Al-Kayal talked about how the migrants who are represented with biased and discriminatory discourses in daily language, media, or political discourse, are staged in the theater which is a space for one-to-one interaction. 

Playwright and director Sedef Ecer started her speech by stating that she focused on migration in her plays, short films and scenarios for about eight years. In her creative process, who conveys the migration experiences in her works titled On the Periphery, E-smugglers.com and L’absente, archive scanning and testimony have an important place. Ecer underlined the importance of giving back to migrants who share their experiences and knowledge during her research period through socio-cultural activities.

Director Roula Al-Kayal stated that she realized the need for a place for Syrian refugee youth to engage in artistic activities and decided to establish the Cut Academy in Gaziantep. She stated that they aim to establish a dialogue by overcoming the language barrier with the physical theater piece US/N written and directed by Walid Kovatlı within the Cut Academy. Emphasizing the importance of joint dialogue, Kayal said that for this, individuals and institutions should work in coordination. 

Video in English