UK Premiere · Arcola Theatre · August 2026
Oscar Castellino · Ali
Forty years after Günter Wallraff’s groundbreaking exposé memoir Ganz Unten, the undercover experience of a German investigative journalist becomes a documentary opera — still strikingly relevant today.
Production imagery © Thomas Müller / courtesy Arcola Theatre
The Production
Disguised as a Turkish migrant worker in West Germany during the 1980s, journalist Günter Wallraff entered the hidden world of migrant labour for two years — experiencing and exposing exploitation, racism and harsh working conditions. His revelations shocked Europe.
Featuring music by renowned Turkish composer Tuluğ Tırpan, this docu-opera explores the everyday encounters and ethics of Wallraff’s undercover work, considering questions of cultural appropriation through a contemporary lens and investigating what drove Wallraff’s transformation.
Post-show talk
Join Arcola immediately following the show on 14 August for a Q&A with Director & Librettist Mehmet Ergen and the Centre for Investigative Journalism, an organisation for the training and education of journalists in advanced investigative techniques.
The Company
Oscar Castellino is cast as Ali in Arcola Theatre’s UK premiere of Lowest of the Low, alongside Ryan Wichert as Günter Wallraff and Owain Gwynfryn as Adler.
The Venue
24 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL
Nearest: Dalston Kingsland (Overground). Concessions available.
Arcola produces daring, high-quality theatre in the heart of East London. Lowest of the Low arrives in London following its 2025 Kunstfest Weimar production.
Sources: Arcola Theatre — Lowest of the Low · Production photos © Thomas Müller