BIO
I'm Büke Erkoç, a theatre-maker, director, and storyteller, originally from Istanbul—a city I grew up in without realizing how deeply I’d miss it one day. I immigrated to Canada at 16, finishing high school in Ottawa and completing both my undergraduate and graduate studies in Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto. Canada has been a second home to me, and I’m deeply grateful for the years I spent there.
After nearly a decade abroad, the longing for home drew me closer, and I moved to Paris before finally settling in London, where I continue my work as an artist. Now in my eleventh year as an immigrant, I tell stories, often using theatre as my medium. I co-founded Kiki Kolektif in Istanbul and later established NOK NOK! in London. With these collectives, I focus on directing, adapting, and creating works that explore the depth of human connection and cultural identity.
Some of my recent projects include directing, adapting, and performing in The Future Looks Bright by Şebnem İşigüzel with NOK NOK! in London and creating Aktarmalı Uçuyor(d)um, an audio storytelling piece in Turkish available on Spotify.
In addition to directing and performing, I am also a published translator. I translate a few plays each year from English into Turkish.
Every morning I still find myself thinking about Istanbul I feel we’ve lost. I think that’s something many of us from Istanbul carry with us. I’m honored to create work that reflects this experience and to share it across Turkey, Canada, and the UK.
Please click here for my cv