Wednesday 4 November and Thursday 5 November will see director Saim Güveloğlu present a new stage adaptation of J.M. Coetzee’s Elizabeth Costello at Paribu Art. Grounded in dense philosophical discourse, the production translates the Nobel laureate’s formidable literary alter ego into a dynamic theatrical exploration of morality, artistic belief, and human-animal ethics. The two-night run offers an uncompromising look at how literary philosophy translates into physical stagecraft, marking a significant entry in modern independent drama. Tickets are available via Passo.
Originally created by Coetzee in his 1999 novella The Lives of Animals before anchoring his 2003 eponymous novel, Elizabeth Costello centers on an aging Australian academic delivering lectures across the globe. Rather than relying on traditional narrative arcs, the text functions as a vessel for complex ethical debates on empathy, vegetarianism, literary censorship, and the burdens of intellectual life. Güveloğlu’s staging tackles this challenging source material by focusing on the friction between abstract ideas and human vulnerability, allowing the character’s internal conflicts to take physical form.
Known for his precise directorial vision and commitment to contemporary text-based theatre, Güveloğlu has carved out a distinct voice through minimalist aesthetics and character-driven focus. His directorial approach often stripped-down staging to prioritize text density and performer dynamics, a technique well suited for Coetzee’s demanding prose. In translating Costello’s world to the stage, the production balances rigorous intellectual inquiry with intimate human emotion, maintaining the uncompromising weight of the original literature.
To stay up to date make sure to follow Paribu Art on instagram. Tickets are available via Passo.
Hasanpaşa, Kurbağalıdere Cd. No:2/26 GH Blok, İç Kapı No:13, 34722 Kadıköy
