The shocking experiences of Turkish migrant workers in 1980s Germany provide the inspiration for a new documentary opera by two leading Turkish creatives, which makes its UK premiere at London’s Arcola Theatre this week.
Lowest of the Low, with music by acclaimed Turkish pianist and composer Tuluğ Tırpan and a libretto and direction by Mehmet Ergen, founder and Artistic Director of the Arcola Theatre, runs for four nights from 12 to 15 August 2026 as part of the venue’s Grimeborn Opera Festival.
The hour-long production is based on German investigative journalist Günter Wallraff’s groundbreaking 1985 book Ganz Unten – published in English as Lowest of the Low – which chronicled the two years he spent undercover posing as a Turkish migrant worker in West Germany.
Adopting the identity of “Ali”, Wallraff entered a world of precarious migrant labour and experienced first-hand the racism, exploitation and dangerous working conditions routinely faced by workers who had helped fuel Germany’s post-war economic boom. His revelations caused a sensation, with the book becoming a huge bestseller and being translated around the world, including into Turkish.
Speaking ahead of the London production, Turkish theatre director Ergen recalled the impact of Wallraff’s revelations in Turkiye: “When the book came out in Turkish, people were just so amazed… They realised conditions were terrible.”
Forty years after the book first appeared, Ergen’s adaptation also revisits Wallraff’s controversial methods through a contemporary lens, asking questions about identity and cultural appropriation, as well as what drove the German journalist to immerse himself so completely in the life of his Turkish alter ego.
The story has a similarly personal resonance for Istanbul-born composer Tuluğ Tırpan, who has recalled first encountering Ganz Unten as a 15-year-old after his grandfather bought a copy. His score combines contemporary musical language with Turkish harmonies and rhythms, performed with a small ensemble of piano, violin and cello.
Lowest of the Low had its world premiere at Germany’s Kunstfest Weimar in 2025, where it received strong reviews, before arriving in London for its UK premiere.
The production is performed in English at Arcola Theatre, Dalston, from Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15 August. A post-show discussion with Mehmet Ergen and the Centre for Investigative Journalism will follow the performance on Friday 14 August. Tickets are priced from £15 to £39, although the Arcola website currently lists some shows as sold out, so audiences should check the theatre for any returns.
Performance Details
Date: Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15 August 2026
Start Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL
Admission: Tickets are priced £15 to £39. including booking fee.
Tickets: Available from the venue – click here.
Main image, of Oscar Castellino in Lowest of the Low (c) Selin Şenköken
