{"id":776,"date":"2018-06-21T18:55:23","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T18:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/?p=776"},"modified":"2023-03-19T10:29:17","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T10:29:17","slug":"out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"Out of the Box(-Office): New Trends in Hungarian Performing Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>No\u00e9mi Herczog<\/strong><a href=\"#end\" name=\"back\">*<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The aim of this article is to give a rough sketch about new tendencies in the Hungarian contemporary performing arts over the past couple of years, and also to give a sense of the social-political context of contemporary Hungarian theatre. The latter task may become tricky, since (at the time of writing) we don\u2019t know yet the outcome of the general elections on April 8, 2018<a href=\"#end1\" name=\"back1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> which may change the cultural-political context of what you read in this paper. Even so, if the present (right-wing, nationalist Fidesz party) government returns or it does not, an increased polarisation in Hungarian politics is possible in the near future.<\/p>\n<p>As a theatre columnist of a Hungarian cultural-political weekly magazine and editor of the theatre magazine <em>SZ\u00cdNH\u00c1Z <\/em>(<em>Theatre<\/em>), and as one of the theatre curators of the dunaPart Platform of Hungarian Contemporary Performing Arts in 2015 and 2017, I have had the chance to follow the recent processes of contemporary Hungarian performing arts,<a href=\"#end2\" name=\"back2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a> which can be interpreted as a success story; however, it can also be described as an area of narrowing pluralism. Definitely, nowadays, theatre-going is a highly favoured past-time in Hungary: almost half of citizens visit a theatre performance at least once a year.<a href=\"#end3\" name=\"back3\"><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/a> The government boasts of the growing number of premieres and theatres and the increase in attendance figures: \u201cWhile in 2008 there were 4.5 million theatre goers in the country, the figures of attendance grew to 6.7 million in the 2016 season, which represents a 150 per cent increase . . . , and the number of theatre workshops and performances has doubled over the last decade: 330 companies staged 26,473 performances last year.\u201d<a href=\"#end4\" name=\"back4\"><sup>[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<h6>Video 1<\/h6>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 12px;\" align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QA08Z_SSThY?rel=0\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nContext and Environment of Hungarian Theatre Making\u2014a panel discussion at dunaPart, in 2017<\/div>\n<p>However, this growth needs to be set in context. According to the representative survey of one of the most important independent online portals, <em>Index, <\/em>\u201conly a mere 13.2 per cent of the respondents said that their primary expectation of the theatre is to make them think.\u201d More than half of them, 56 per cent, wish to \u201crelax and forget about their problems for some hours,\u201d while 23.3 per cent prefer to see \u201cestablished works of art of high value, classic theatre plays.\u201d<a href=\"#end5\" name=\"back5\"><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Keeping in mind the above mentioned figures, this means that, while the theatre structure in Hungary has remained unchanged since the nationalization of the theatres in 1949 (namely, all the theatres need state subsidy), the present financing system favors the mainstream theatres, whereas I try to broaden the picture in this paper. As the system of state subsidy (which is derived from tax revenues) favors the \u201csuccessful\u201d theatres, and \u201csuccess\u201d is measured by market value, the theatres are doubly interested in meeting the expectations and needs of the audience.<a href=\"#end6\" name=\"back6\"><sup>[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There is, in the evaluation of the state funding system, no differentiation made between the blockbuster productions in theatres or stadiums and art theatre performances. The subsidy system categorizes theatre companies as \u201cnational,\u201d \u201chigh priority\u201d and \u201cother.\u201d The independent theatres are categorized as \u201cother\u201d; their independence means that they are not given regular state support. These companies have been suffering from a disadvantageous situation for years on account of their underplanned and unpredictable financial resources. The institutions belonging to the \u201cnational\u201d and \u201chigh priority\u201d categories can plan much more safely. In exchange, their directors and managers will be nominated by the state. As the critic Andrea Tompa, chief editor of the theatre magazine <em>SZ\u00cdNH\u00c1Z, <\/em>writes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>in the current Hungarian cultural-policy environment, becoming an artistic director\/general manager of an institution no longer depends on professional excellence or one\u2019s achievements. Political connections and being politically acceptable and \u201con the right side\u201d\u2014the ruling one, that is\u2014are almost the exclusive requirements and are decisive for being appointed to such a position.<a href=\"#end7\" name=\"back7\"><sup>[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As this type of control cannot be applied in the case of independent theatres, the unpredictable invitations to tender are a means of financial censorship. In this way, the government does not need to close down the institutions or create an index of authors whose activities might involve criticism towards the establishment, or that it considers just simply unimportant; rather, it keeps a tight hold over them financially, making their survival difficult. For independent artists and companies, this state policy makes long term planning very problematic. A fact which is compounded by the continuous game of snakes and ladders in which independent companies are moved up and down in the financing priorities of the state funding system.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>\u201cShrinking\u201d and Artistic Exodus<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Although the independent sector is not immune to the pressure to maximize audience numbers either, this remains the sphere where we find the most experimental performances (that is, those which do not automatically prefer to follow the determining tradition of dramatic representational theatre in Hungary). However, there has been a notable shrinking, in recent years, of the volume of theatre productions by the independent companies, which are, of course, the most financially defenseless.<\/p>\n<p>In late 2017, the \u201cdunaPart\u201d showcase could present only three major productions from this sector, two of them dance pieces. The lone theatre production was <em>Imitation of Life <\/em>(2016), by theatre and film director Korn\u00e9l Mundrucz\u00f3, which presented the eviction story of a defenseless Romany woman. Its most notable feature is the performative space: the vast interior of the woman\u2019s flat, furnished with hyper-naturalistic details, turns over in the moment of the death of the sick woman waiting for her eviction (played by LiliMonori). For &nbsp;some moments, the spectators cannot see anything but the kitchen gadgets and brooms crashing down as the room slowly revolves through 360 degrees, until it finally stands erect again in its broken condition. The personal tragedy is presented with objective rigidity, visualized in this post-apocalyptic picture.<a href=\"#end8\" name=\"back8\"><sup>[8]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Characteristically, Mundrucz\u00f3 is not based in Hungary nowadays. He has this in common with the mid-generation of internationally acclaimed Hungarian theatre directors, such as \u00c1rp\u00e1d Schilling and Viktor Bod\u00f3. The last play directed by Schilling in Hungary was in 2015: <em>The Day of Fury<\/em>. The production was marked by minimalism, an actor-centered approach and socio-political parable\u2014all characteristic of Schilling in more recent years. The story is based on a real person, the \u201cblack sister\u201d demonstrating for improvements in the conditions in hospitals and, therefore, losing her job. She was performed in the play by the wife of the director, the splendid Lilla S\u00e1rosdi. This play was put on stage in Traf\u00f3, the most important centre of contemporary experimental performing arts in Hungary.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly to Mundrucz\u00f3\u2019s plays, Schilling\u2019s foreign productions can only be seen in this theatre in Hungary. However, at present, there are no further opportunities in Hungary for experimental theatre companies to move on from Traf\u00f3 and step onto a bigger stage, unless they go abroad.<\/p>\n<p>The Budapest premiere of Viktor Bod\u00f3\u2019s latest grand-scale production, <em>The Krakken Operation <\/em>(2018), was put on stage in a more spacious private theatre in the building of the former \u00c1trium cinema, which is more vulnerable to the trends of the market. His other premiere in Hungary two years earlier, also in a private theatre, was a one-man-show, <em>Diary of a Madman <\/em>(2016)<em>, <\/em>a touring show, starring Tam\u00e1s Keresztes, which is easy to put on stage anywhere<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_777\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-777\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"777\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/1-atriums-production-of-the-krakken-operation-directed-by-viktor-bodo-2018\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/1.-%C3%81trium%E2%80%99s-production-of-The-Krakken-Operation-directed-by-Viktor-Bod%C3%B3-2018..jpg?fit=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"700,467\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"1. \u00c1trium\u2019s production of The Krakken Operation directed by Viktor Bod\u00f3 2018.\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;\u00c1trium\u2019s production of\u00a0The\u00a0Krakken Operation,directed by Viktor Bod\u00f3, in 2018.\u00a0Photo: Csaba M\u00e9sz\u00e1ros&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/1.-%C3%81trium%E2%80%99s-production-of-The-Krakken-Operation-directed-by-Viktor-Bod%C3%B3-2018..jpg?fit=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-777\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/1.-%C3%81trium%E2%80%99s-production-of-The-Krakken-Operation-directed-by-Viktor-Bod%C3%B3-2018..jpg?resize=700%2C467&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/1.-%C3%81trium%E2%80%99s-production-of-The-Krakken-Operation-directed-by-Viktor-Bod%C3%B3-2018..jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/1.-%C3%81trium%E2%80%99s-production-of-The-Krakken-Operation-directed-by-Viktor-Bod%C3%B3-2018..jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-777\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00c1trium\u2019s production of&nbsp;<em>The&nbsp;Krakken Operation<\/em>,directed by Viktor Bod\u00f3, in 2018.&nbsp;Photo: Csaba M\u00e9sz\u00e1ros<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Reflections on #meetoo<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Where the financial survival of an independent theatre in Hungary is concerned, the exception is B\u00e9la Pint\u00e9r, who has managed to establish a sustainable independent theatrical model with an on-going repertoire. His second production as guest-director in Budapest was performed in December 2017, in one of the capital\u2019s most prestigious public theatres, the Katona J\u00f3zsef Theatre. The piece is partly a response to the globally publicized sexual harassment scandals,<a href=\"#end9\" name=\"back9\"><sup>[9]<\/sup><\/a> which also reached Hungarian society and, thus, Hungarian theatre. Its antecedent was Pint\u00e9r\u2019s first direction in Katona, <em>The Champion <\/em>(2016), which resulted in a political scandal. The pro-government press criticized the perceived similarity between the mayor of the city of Debrecen (who supports the government) and the main character of the play.<a href=\"#end10\" name=\"back10\"><sup>[10]<\/sup><\/a> The official party organ <em>Magyar Id\u0151k <\/em>reminded its readers that the director of the theatre, G\u00e1bor M\u00e1t\u00e9, was elected by the Fidesz-KDNP government, and that he can be removed by them just as easily. The pro-government <em>Heti V\u00e1lasz<\/em> denounced the director of the theatre, disclosing some gossip\u2014private details from his past\u2014and suggested that the theatre should rather stage a play about his&nbsp; private life, rather than that of the mayor of Debrecen.<a href=\"#end11\" name=\"back11\"><sup>[11]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-778\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"778\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/2-erno-fekete-tamas-keresztes-and-zoltan-bezeredi-in-katona-jozsef-theatres-production-directed-by-bela-pinter-2017-photo-by-judit-horvath\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/2.-Ern%C5%91-Fekete-Tam%C3%A1s-Keresztes-and-Zolt%C3%A1n-Bezer%C3%A9di-in-Katona-J%C3%B3zsef-Theatres-production-directed-by-B%C3%A9la-Pint%C3%A9r-2017.-Photo-by-Judit-Horv%C3%A1th.jpg?fit=700%2C504&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"700,504\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Horvath Judit&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 70D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1513279881&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;85&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"2. Ern\u0151 Fekete, Tam\u00e1s Keresztes and Zolt\u00e1n Bezer\u00e9di in Katona J\u00f3zsef Theatre&amp;#8217;s production directed by B\u00e9la Pint\u00e9r 2017. Photo by Judit Horv\u00e1th\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Ern\u0151 Fekete, Tam\u00e1s Keresztes and Zolt\u00e1n Bezer\u00e9di in Katona J\u00f3zsef Theatre&amp;#8217;s production, directed by B\u00e9la Pint\u00e9r, in 2017.\u00a0&lt;br \/&gt;\nPhoto: Judit Horv\u00e1th&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/2.-Ern%C5%91-Fekete-Tam%C3%A1s-Keresztes-and-Zolt%C3%A1n-Bezer%C3%A9di-in-Katona-J%C3%B3zsef-Theatres-production-directed-by-B%C3%A9la-Pint%C3%A9r-2017.-Photo-by-Judit-Horv%C3%A1th.jpg?fit=700%2C504&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-778\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/2.-Ern%C5%91-Fekete-Tam%C3%A1s-Keresztes-and-Zolt%C3%A1n-Bezer%C3%A9di-in-Katona-J%C3%B3zsef-Theatres-production-directed-by-B%C3%A9la-Pint%C3%A9r-2017.-Photo-by-Judit-Horv%C3%A1th.jpg?resize=700%2C504&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/2.-Ern%C5%91-Fekete-Tam%C3%A1s-Keresztes-and-Zolt%C3%A1n-Bezer%C3%A9di-in-Katona-J%C3%B3zsef-Theatres-production-directed-by-B%C3%A9la-Pint%C3%A9r-2017.-Photo-by-Judit-Horv%C3%A1th.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/2.-Ern%C5%91-Fekete-Tam%C3%A1s-Keresztes-and-Zolt%C3%A1n-Bezer%C3%A9di-in-Katona-J%C3%B3zsef-Theatres-production-directed-by-B%C3%A9la-Pint%C3%A9r-2017.-Photo-by-Judit-Horv%C3%A1th.jpg?resize=300%2C216&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ern\u0151 Fekete, Tam\u00e1s Keresztes and Zolt\u00e1n Bezer\u00e9di in Katona J\u00f3zsef Theatre&#8217;s production, directed by B\u00e9la Pint\u00e9r, in 2017.&nbsp;<br \/>Photo: Judit Horv\u00e1th<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Katona theatre and B\u00e9la Pint\u00e9r took this advice seriously, and Pint\u00e9r staged the show, where some of the characters are called the same name as the chief director and the actors of the theatre. However, the yellow paper style framework is only illusory; the play is about the harassment scandals and about the vulnerability of women and actresses. It does not point a finger at others, but through the self-critical portrayal of the relation between the director\u2019s theatre and violence it enfolds the problem in cabaret-style farce.<\/p>\n<p>Veronika Szab\u00f3, a member of the youngest generation of Hungarian directors, deals with the methodology of collaborative devising and leaves behind the dictatorial toolbox of the director\u2019s theatre. She came into the limelight with a work which demonstrated the individuality of her artistic voice and highlighted gender issues, which are rarely a theme in the Hungarian theatre. <em>Queendom <\/em>(2017), which was produced by an international group of artists, creates a democratic atmosphere. Built upon scenes (which often test the limits) involving seven women, it is performed mostly without words, and with background music. It puts the human body on show bravely and openly. Influenced by <em>J\u00e9r\u00f4me<\/em> <em>Bel<\/em>, it is marked by feminism, eroticism and strong emotional effects. It does not deal directly with the problem of sexual harassment, but, rather, it considers the way we see the female body.<\/p>\n<p>The performance confronts female audience members with their expectations towards their own female roles; their attitude to the normative body-image; the notion of their own beauty; and whether they are able to review the expectations unconsciously working deep within themselves.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_779\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-779\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"779\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/3-julia-jakubowska-lori-baldwin-and-luca-borsos-in-queendom-directed-by-veronika-szabo-2018\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/3.-Julia-Jakubowska-Lori-Baldwin-and-Luca-Borsos-in-Queendom-directed-by-Veronika-Szab%C3%B3-2018..jpg?fit=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"700,467\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Laszlo Halasz&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1511361220&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"3. Julia Jakubowska, Lori Baldwin and Luca Borsos in Queendom directed by Veronika Szab\u00f3 2018.\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Julia Jakubowska, Lori Baldwin and Luca Borsos in\u00a0Queendomdirected by Veronika Szab\u00f3, in 2018.\u00a0Photo: L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Hal\u00e1sz&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/3.-Julia-Jakubowska-Lori-Baldwin-and-Luca-Borsos-in-Queendom-directed-by-Veronika-Szab%C3%B3-2018..jpg?fit=700%2C467&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-779\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/3.-Julia-Jakubowska-Lori-Baldwin-and-Luca-Borsos-in-Queendom-directed-by-Veronika-Szab%C3%B3-2018..jpg?resize=700%2C467&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/3.-Julia-Jakubowska-Lori-Baldwin-and-Luca-Borsos-in-Queendom-directed-by-Veronika-Szab%C3%B3-2018..jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/3.-Julia-Jakubowska-Lori-Baldwin-and-Luca-Borsos-in-Queendom-directed-by-Veronika-Szab%C3%B3-2018..jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-779\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julia Jakubowska, Lori Baldwin and Luca Borsos in&nbsp;Queendomdirected by Veronika Szab\u00f3, in 2018.&nbsp;Photo: L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Hal\u00e1sz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>New Trends, Emerging Artists, Author\u2019s Theatre, Theatre-Makers <\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>While there are still only a few women directors in Hungarian theatre, we have to mention among them, a highly distinctive artist, Ildik\u00f3 G\u00e1sp\u00e1r, who represents a new, significant and growing trend: that of directors who qualified as dramaturges. Maybe the distinctiveness of their work is the consequence of their studies: the concept of the dramaturge-director often diverts away from traditional dramatic methods.<\/p>\n<p>G\u00e1sp\u00e1r put on stage a play by \u00d6d\u00f6n von Horv\u00e1th (<em>Faith, Charity, Hope<\/em>, 2017<em>) <\/em>in her mother institution<em>, <\/em>an important public theatre, the \u00d6rk\u00e9nyIstv\u00e1n Sz\u00ednh\u00e1z. Starring the young T\u00fcnde K\u00f3kai in the leading role, the production took the methods of Brecht as its starting point. Contrary to the Hungarian acting tradition, she introduces the protagonist as a much stronger character and, in this way, she places the emphasis on the socio-political constraints, rather than on the vulnerability deriving from a woman\u2019s personality.<\/p>\n<p>Dramaturges do lend a new theatre-language to the contemporary Hungarian theatre. Martin Boross is another notable example. He has directed theatre travelling on a bus, as well as a theatrical board-game about homelessness.<\/p>\n<p>Krist\u00f3f Kelemen\u2019s documentary show, with the long title <em>While You Are Reading This Title We Are Talking About You <\/em>(2016), shows actor-students as they are talking about their vulnerability in their jobs\u2014which also works on the level of a kind of all-societal metaphor. Kelemen\u2019s second production, in cooperation with fine artist Bence Gy\u00f6rgy P\u00e1link\u00e1s, was <em>Hungarian Acacia <\/em><em>(2017):<\/em> <em>it demonstrates how the acacia<\/em><em>\u2014<\/em><em>originally brought in from America<\/em><em>\u2014<\/em><em>has become a Hungarian national and political symbol, and, furthermore, how this political metaphor changes and transforms<\/em><em>\u2014<\/em><em>without any resonance<\/em><em>\u2014<\/em><em>in the political vocabulary of different periods and how it is filled with totally opposing meanings.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_780\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-780\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"780\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/4-angela-eke-in-hungarian-acacia-directed-by-bence-gyorgy-palinkas-and-kristof-kelemen-2018\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/4.Ang%C3%A9la-Eke-in-Hungarian-acacia-directed-by-Bence-Gy%C3%B6rgy-P%C3%A1link%C3%A1s-and-Krist%C3%B3f-Kelemen-2018..jpg?fit=400%2C544&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,544\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"4.Ang\u00e9la Eke in Hungarian acacia directed by Bence Gy\u00f6rgy P\u00e1link\u00e1s and Krist\u00f3f Kelemen 2018.\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Ang\u00e9la Eke in\u00a0Hungarian Acacia,directed by Bence Gy\u00f6rgy P\u00e1link\u00e1s and Krist\u00f3f Kelemen, in 2018. Copyright: Traf\u00f3 \u2013 House of Contemporary Arts&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/4.Ang%C3%A9la-Eke-in-Hungarian-acacia-directed-by-Bence-Gy%C3%B6rgy-P%C3%A1link%C3%A1s-and-Krist%C3%B3f-Kelemen-2018..jpg?fit=400%2C544&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-780\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/4.Ang%C3%A9la-Eke-in-Hungarian-acacia-directed-by-Bence-Gy%C3%B6rgy-P%C3%A1link%C3%A1s-and-Krist%C3%B3f-Kelemen-2018..jpg?resize=400%2C544&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/4.Ang%C3%A9la-Eke-in-Hungarian-acacia-directed-by-Bence-Gy%C3%B6rgy-P%C3%A1link%C3%A1s-and-Krist%C3%B3f-Kelemen-2018..jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/4.Ang%C3%A9la-Eke-in-Hungarian-acacia-directed-by-Bence-Gy%C3%B6rgy-P%C3%A1link%C3%A1s-and-Krist%C3%B3f-Kelemen-2018..jpg?resize=221%2C300&amp;ssl=1 221w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-780\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ang\u00e9la Eke in&nbsp;<em>Hungarian Acacia<\/em>, directed by Bence Gy\u00f6rgy P\u00e1link\u00e1s and Krist\u00f3f Kelemen, in 2018. Copyright: Traf\u00f3 \u2013 House of Contemporary Arts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Among the dramaturge-directors, as we can see, there is a prevalent \u201ctheatermaker\u201d attitude which breaks out of the \u201cboxes\u201d of traditionally divided and separated theatre roles and mixes them, together with the genre of author\u2019s theatre (<em>auteur<\/em> theatre).<\/p>\n<p>A leading example of <em>auteur<\/em> among the theatre-makers in Hungary is P\u00e9ter K\u00e1rp\u00e1ti, who is also a qualified dramaturge. Besides putting his own dramas on stage, he is known for the revival in Hungary of the genre of improvisation. His methodology avoids the \u201cpre-planned element\u201d one expects of traditional improv (that is, both characters are aware of the basic situation). This new, hyperrealist approach to improv exposes the actors to the lifelike experience of one actor knowing only his\/her condition while, at the same time, being unaware of the feelings of the other. Therefore, the performers are truly surprised by the twists of dramaturgy that they receive from the director in text messages, while they are on stage (often for days!) as the performance proceeds.<\/p>\n<p>Another representative of the <em>auteur<\/em> theatre is \u00c1d\u00e1m Fekete, also a dramaturge. His most important staging is <em>Tableau without Lion in Natural Light<\/em> (2015), which reveals the experience of solitude and loneliness in a consolatory tone, and challenges the urge of contemporary Hungarian theatre to involve too much talking. He slows down his play, which is inspired by Ming-liang Tsai and Roy Andersson, and gives very few lines to his actors. The performance of the Ground Floor Group of Kolozsv\u00e1r (Cluj, Romania) entitled <em>Parental Ctrl <\/em>(2017), is also the fruit of a dramaturge and theatre historians. This is a post-dramatic petition told on behalf of the generation born in the nineties in the form of painful and funny songs.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>New Realism<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Although the sphere of the contemporary Hungarian theatre is narrowing and the majority of productions are restricted to small areas, for some creative groups, this is not a constraint but a necessity, as their theatrical language they apply to depicting family problems is hyperrealism. In the work of theatre and film director Szabolcs Hajdu (L\u00e1t\u00f3k\u00e9p Ensemble), and his co-dramatist (and wife) Orsolya T\u00f6r\u00f6k-Illy\u00e9s,<a href=\"#end12\" name=\"back12\"><sup>[12]<\/sup><\/a> and dollardeddy&#8217;s (the theatre of the actor couple Em\u0151ke Kiss-V\u00e9gh and Tam\u00e1s \u00d6rd\u00f6g), mainly North-European dramas are rewritten in contemporary language as chamber theatre performances in which the proximity of the actors is vital. These theatre companies try to revive psychological realism with the help of minimalist language. Their immediate Hungarian predecessor is \u00c1rp\u00e1d Schilling\u2019s <em>The Seagull <\/em>(2003), with its very natural, everyday-like acting style.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Applied Theatre: The Audience as Participant<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>In the field of applied theatre a number of different parallel trends can be found in Hungary. German initiation theatre and English TiE (Theatre in Education) are particularly prominent. K\u00e1va and Kerekasztal are the two most significant Hungarian TiE companies; indeed, they are as important in youth and children\u2019s theatre as they are in adult theatre. The applied theatre companies contrast their perception of audience with the role of the traditionally passive one. This concept is also politically charged in a society which lacks the traditions of participatory democracy.<\/p>\n<p>Besides the German and British traditions of applied theatre there are homegrown trends as well: for example, L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Bass\u2019s poverty-research play <em>Sociopoly <\/em>(2015). This participatory performance is based on the board game developed by Bass himself and makes the audience experience the feeling of surviving in extreme poverty. \u201cTheatre board games\u201d provide a live experience of a board game for the audience who become participants; their decisions as a player are expressed in theatrical scenes. Alternatively, a certain dilemma becomes more immediate by being presented on stage: for example, shall we go shopping in the local little corner shop, or, rather, to the shop in the city, or shall we borrow from the local moneylender? In these games, the role of moderator is often played by a specialist (for example, a researcher of poverty or a social worker), or, in the style of documentarist theatre, another participant in the social events (for example, the homeless activist Gyula Balog performed in Martin Boross\u2019s <em>Addressless <\/em>(2016).<\/p>\n<h6>Video 3<\/h6>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 12px;\" align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199427532?color=aea789&amp;portrait=0\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nMent\u0151cs\u00f3nak Egys\u00e9g-STEREO Akt:<em> Addressless (<\/em><em>Vagabond Role Game)<\/em><\/div>\n<p><em>Long Live Regina! <\/em>(2017) is the final product of a community theatre piece, which follows the footsteps of the documentarist traditions of the German company Rimini Protokoll. It casts \u201ceveryday people\u201d as \u201cexperts\u201d\u2019 on the stage. However, what is of even greater importance, from a Hungarian perspective, is that it demonstrates the right of Romani women to represent themselves. The sociologists Kata Horv\u00e1th and Marton Oblath, each with more than ten years of contact with this community, invited director Edit Romankovics and dramaturge Eszter Gyulay to participate in their artistic project. Central to the development of the play&nbsp;<em>Long Live Regina!<\/em>&nbsp;is the use of digital storytelling and psychodrama. Overall, the project has a therapeutic and community-building aspect, where the output as a theatrical production can be shown to a wider audience.<a href=\"#end13\" name=\"back13\"><sup>[13]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_781\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-781\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"781\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/5bderr1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/5BDERR1.jpg?fit=700%2C464&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"700,464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"5BDERR~1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;B\u00e1der Ren\u00e1ta, Horv\u00e1th R\u00f3bertn\u00e9 (Rita), Anita R\u00e1cz and K\u00e1llai Gerg\u0151n\u00e9 (Vali) in Saj\u00e1t Sz\u00ednh\u00e1z&amp;#8217;s (SelfTheatre) production of\u00a0Long Live Regina!,directed by Edit Romankovics, in 2017.\u00a0Photo: Gabriella Csosz\u00f3. Copyright:\u00a0sajatszinhaz.org&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/5BDERR1.jpg?fit=700%2C464&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-781\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/5BDERR1.jpg?resize=700%2C464&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/5BDERR1.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/5BDERR1.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-781\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">B\u00e1der Ren\u00e1ta, Horv\u00e1th R\u00f3bertn\u00e9 (Rita), Anita R\u00e1cz and K\u00e1llai Gerg\u0151n\u00e9 (Vali) in Saj\u00e1t Sz\u00ednh\u00e1z&#8217;s (SelfTheatre) production of&nbsp;Long Live Regina!,directed by Edit Romankovics, in 2017.&nbsp;Photo: Gabriella Csosz\u00f3. Copyright:&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/sajatszinhaz.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sajatszinhaz.org<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Theatre and Visuality<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Visuality is not one of the strengths of Hungarian theatre. An important exception to this is the latest show by the neo-avant-garde group T\u00c1P Sz\u00ednh\u00e1z, adapted from the cultbook of the Hungarian-Jewish author Antal Szerb, who was beaten to death during the Holocaust. From the visual point of view, the <em>Traveller and Moonlight <\/em>(2018) has been one of the most innovative Hungarian productions in recent years. It is an example of so-called playback theatre, in which the actors mouth the words to an audio playback in front of a screen on which images are projected, making the performers appear like puppets.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of puppets, Andr\u00e1s Jeles is also worth mentioning. His play, entitled <em>Joseph and His Brothers <\/em>(2015), which is in the repertoire of the We\u00f6res S\u00e1ndor Theatre in Szombathely, creates a non-realistic, folktale-style theatrical language, where acting is similar to that of the puppets.<\/p>\n<p>Another visually exciting work of recent years is <em>The Doh\u00e1ny Street Sheriff<\/em> (2012), directed by J\u00e1nos Moh\u00e1csi, who applied a radical visual solution&nbsp; in staging of the Holocaust. Expressing the impossibility of visually representing the Nazi genocide, the whole performance is played in total darkness.<a href=\"#end14\" name=\"back14\"><sup>[14]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_782\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-782\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"782\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/olympus-digital-camera-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/6.Franciska-T%C3%B6r%C5%91csik-in-Traf%C3%B3-House-of-Contemporary-Arts-production-of-Traveller-and-Moonlight-directed-by-Vilmos-Vajdai-2017..jpg?fit=700%2C466&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"700,466\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1505228719&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;150&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.076923076923077&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Franciska T\u00f6r\u0151csik in Traf\u00f3 House of Contemporary Arts&amp;#8217; production of\u00a0Traveller and Moonlight, directed by Vilmos Vajdai, in\u00a02017. Photo: Mikl\u00f3s Toldy&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/6.Franciska-T%C3%B6r%C5%91csik-in-Traf%C3%B3-House-of-Contemporary-Arts-production-of-Traveller-and-Moonlight-directed-by-Vilmos-Vajdai-2017..jpg?fit=700%2C466&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-782\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/6.Franciska-T%C3%B6r%C5%91csik-in-Traf%C3%B3-House-of-Contemporary-Arts-production-of-Traveller-and-Moonlight-directed-by-Vilmos-Vajdai-2017..jpg?resize=700%2C466&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/6.Franciska-T%C3%B6r%C5%91csik-in-Traf%C3%B3-House-of-Contemporary-Arts-production-of-Traveller-and-Moonlight-directed-by-Vilmos-Vajdai-2017..jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/6.Franciska-T%C3%B6r%C5%91csik-in-Traf%C3%B3-House-of-Contemporary-Arts-production-of-Traveller-and-Moonlight-directed-by-Vilmos-Vajdai-2017..jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-782\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Franciska T\u00f6r\u0151csik in Traf\u00f3 House of Contemporary Arts&#8217; production of&nbsp;<em>Traveller and Moonlight<\/em>, directed by Vilmos Vajdai, in&nbsp;2017. Photo: Mikl\u00f3s Toldy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h5><strong>Theatre and Politics: The Dictator on Stage<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>In Hungary, burning social issues on the stages of public theatres are most often thematized; they follow the traditions of representational theatre and often the double speak tradition\u2014very common in Hungarian theatres before the regime shift in 1989. Political topics are often depicted via foreign or classical plays.<\/p>\n<p>Examples of such productions include: <em>Incendies <\/em>(2017), by Wajdi Mouawad (a Canadian dramatist of Lebanese descent), which considers the migrant crisis and xenophobia, staged at the Radn\u00f3ti Theatre, directed by the former artistic director of the Hungarian National Theatre Alf\u00f6ldi; and <em>Richard III <\/em>(2018), this time with Alf\u00f6ldi performing the title role, directed by Romanian-American director <em>Andrei \u015eerban. The show was <\/em>presented one month before the Hungarian general elections with a direct reference to the return of the dictator. At the end of the production, the ghost of Richard comes back and walks through the stage smoking a cigarette.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_783\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-783\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"783\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/7-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/7.jpg?fit=700%2C525&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"700,525\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Daniel D\\u00f6m\\u00f6lky&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Daniel D\\u00f6m\\u00f6lky&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"7\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Ad\u00e9l Kov\u00e1ts and R\u00f3bert Alf\u00f6ldi in Radn\u00f3ti Theatre&amp;#8217;s production of\u00a0King\u00a0Richard III,directed by\u00a0\u00a0Andrei \u015eerban, in2018. Photo: D\u00e1niel D\u00f6m\u00f6lky&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/7.jpg?fit=700%2C525&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-783\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/7.jpg?resize=700%2C525&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/7.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/7.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-783\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ad\u00e9l Kov\u00e1ts and R\u00f3bert Alf\u00f6ldi in Radn\u00f3ti Theatre&#8217;s production of&nbsp;<em>King&nbsp;Richard III<\/em>,directed by&nbsp;&nbsp;Andrei \u015eerban, in2018. <br \/>Photo: D\u00e1niel D\u00f6m\u00f6lky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another example of anachronistic double speak in contemporary Hungarian theatre is <em>Hamlet <\/em>(2017), presented in another public theatre of Budapest, the Comedy Theatre. Here, the actor recites a famous Hungarian poem which, in this context, includes a reference on dictatorship instead of the original monologue from the <em>Aeneid<\/em>. These are all performances which articulate political topics \u201cbetween the lines\u201d\u2014which is a well-known and ongoing tradition for post-socialist cultures, since this was the language of political theatre before the regime shift in 1989.<\/p>\n<p>Although the independent performances are often more direct, their numbers diminish. Add to that the fact that the mid-generation directors are mainly concentrated abroad, and it is clear that there is less and less space in Hungary for independent thinking and for testing brave and experimental forms.<\/p>\n<p>Although \u00c1rp\u00e1d Schilling<a href=\"#end15\" name=\"back15\"><sup>[15]<\/sup><\/a> has staged guest performances recently in Traf\u00f3, as a political activist and a rebel, he has been only working abroad in the past, before finally leaving Hungary in the spring of 2018. His work can be mostly seen in Hungary through his political video-performances in the autonomous space of Facebook, one of the last forums of independence.<\/p>\n<p>In the following excerpt, as a continuation of the short history of Hungarian performance art (instead of the Hungarian tradition of representational theatre and the political tradition of double speak), the artist stages himself talking about the Hungarian Government\u2019s fake poll called \u201cthe National Consultation,\u201d lecturing the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orb\u00e1n:<\/p>\n<h6>Video 4<\/h6>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 12px;\" align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hRWMQNJeSG8?rel=0\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n\u00c1rp\u00e1d Schilling about the National Consultation questionnaire of the Hungarian Government<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h5><strong>Endnotes<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-size: 13px\">\n<a href=\"#back1\" name=\"end1\">[1]<\/a> Editor\u2019s note: The election was won by Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n and his right-wing, nationalist Fidesz party.<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back2\" name=\"end2\">[2]<\/a> It is important to mention the existence of an ethnic Hungarian minority in Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia and Serbia\u2014their Hungarian-language theatre activities, often marked by the crossing of the cultures, are also part of the Hungarian theatre culture. The TESZT festival of Temesv\u00e1r (Timisoara), which has just gone through a change of board\u2014thus also through a change of profile\u2014had been able to represent an international showcase which resembles the profile of the centre of experimental theatre in Budapest, the Traf\u00f3, and which was more progressive than any other festival in Hungary.<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back3\" name=\"end3\">[3]<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/index.hu\/kultur\/2017\/03\/13\/van_valami_amit_nagyon_utalunk_a_szinhazban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See here<\/a>&nbsp;(Accessed March 29, 2018).<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back4\" name=\"end4\">[4]<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/mno.hu\/grund\/egyre-tobben-jarnak-szinhazba-1368189\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See here<\/a> (Accessed March 29, 2018).<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back5\" name=\"end5\">[5]<\/a> B\u00e1lint Kov\u00e1cs, ibid.<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back6\" name=\"end6\">[6]<\/a> A brief summary of the legal background: \u201csince 2009 companies can support organizations of performing art from their company tax. . . . The maximum amount of support can be up to 80 per cent of the box office revenues of the organisation. This support is easy to plan as a fixed amount, but the fact that this regulation covers all the theatres uniformly resulted, of course, in anomalies, and tensions arose, primarily between the big theatres, which provide entertainment, and the small art theatres,\u201d writes Istv\u00e1n Szab\u00f3, theatre historian and sociologist, in the March issue of <em>SZ\u00cdNH\u00c1Z. <\/em>See Istv\u00e1n Szab\u00f3, \u201cWhat is tao?\u201d <em>Sz\u00ednh\u00e1z<\/em>, March 2018 (Accessed March 29, 2018).<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back7\" name=\"end7\">[7]<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.polishtheatrejournal.com\/index.php\/ptj\/article\/view\/120\/622\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See here<\/a>, Andrea Tompa, \u201cAnd the Winner Is . . . Appointing Artistic Directors in Hungary,\u201d <em>PTJ, <\/em>1.2 (2017) (Accessed March 29, 2018).<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back8\" name=\"end8\">[8]<\/a> A variation of the scene is also included in the film <em>Jupiter\u2019s Moon <\/em>(2017), by Mundrucz\u00f3.<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back9\" name=\"end9\">[9]<\/a> In late 2017, actress Lilla S\u00e1rosdi revealed how L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Marton, the ex-director of an established public theatre, V\u00edgsz\u00ednh\u00e1z, harassed her. On her coming out, the fellow sufferers joined her, and, as part of this wave, Marton was pensioned off, just like the culprit of the next scandal, the ex-director of the Operetta Theatre, Mikl\u00f3s G\u00e1bor Ker\u00e9nyi was laid off.<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back10\" name=\"end10\">[10]<\/a> The chief director of the theatre, Tam\u00e1s Ascher, mentioned then on Facebook that the former prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcs\u00e1ny, also appeared on the stage of a conservative director while he was in power, but nobody made any remark on it at that time.<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back11\" name=\"end11\">[11]<\/a> See also Andrea Tompa: \u201cDu hast gerufen, geliebter F\u00fchrer!\u201d&nbsp;<em>Theater<\/em> <em>Heute<\/em>, July 2016.<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back12\" name=\"end12\">[12]<\/a> See here: No\u00e9mi Herczog, \u201cSzabolcs Hajdu and the Theatre of Midlife Crisis: Self-Ironic Auto-Bio Aesthetic on Hungarian Stages,\u201d <em>European Stages<\/em> 10 (2018) (Accessed March 29, 2018).<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back13\" name=\"end13\">[13]<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/europeanstages.org\/2017\/10\/27\/a-female-psychodrama-as-kitchen-sink-drama-long-live-regina-in-budapest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">See here<\/a>. Gabriella Schuller, \u201cA Female Psycho Drama as Kitchen Sink Drama: <em>Long Live Regina! <\/em>in Budapest,\u201d <em>European Stages<\/em> 10 (2017) (Accessed March 29, 2018).<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back14\" name=\"end14\">[14]<\/a> The show can also be seen at the <a href=\"http:\/\/hungarylivefestival.com\/almenuk\/ghetto_sheriff.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hungarian Live Festival in New York<\/a>, June 23-27, 2018. (Accessed 8 June, 2018).<br \/>\n<a href=\"#back15\" name=\"end15\">[15]<\/a> \u00c1rp\u00e1d Schillinhas left Hungary in 2018 spring: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arte.tv\/de\/videos\/082084-000-A\/ungarn-kuenstler-arpad-schilling-verlaesst-sein-land\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see here<\/a>&nbsp;(Accessed June 8, 2018).<a name=\"end\"><\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"784\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/out-of-the-box-office-new-trends-in-hungarian-performing-arts\/noemi-herczog-_-critical-stages\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/No%C3%A9mi-Herczog-_-Critical-Stages.jpg?fit=301%2C276&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"301,276\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;COOLPIX P6000&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1435343730&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"No\u00e9mi Herczog _ Critical Stages\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/No%C3%A9mi-Herczog-_-Critical-Stages.jpg?fit=301%2C276&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-784\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/No%C3%A9mi-Herczog-_-Critical-Stages.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/No%C3%A9mi-Herczog-_-Critical-Stages.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/No%C3%A9mi-Herczog-_-Critical-Stages.jpg?resize=270%2C270&amp;ssl=1 270w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/No%C3%A9mi-Herczog-_-Critical-Stages.jpg?resize=230%2C230&amp;ssl=1 230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#back\" name=\"end\">*<\/a><strong>No\u00e9mi Herczog<\/strong> (1986) lives and works in Budapest, Hungary. She is a critic and editor. She is editor of the oldest Hungarian&nbsp;theatre&nbsp;magazine, <em>SZ\u00cdNH\u00c1Z<\/em> (<em>Theatre<\/em>), theatre&nbsp;columnist of&nbsp;the&nbsp;weekly <em>\u00c9let\u00e9sIrodalom<\/em> (<em>Life and Literature<\/em>), editor of a&nbsp;theatrical&nbsp;book series (<em>Sz\u00ednText<\/em>) and teaches performance analysis at the University of Theatre and Film, Budapest. She is a former activist of One Million for the Freedom of Speech civic movement (Milla). A doctoral student at&nbsp;the&nbsp;University of&nbsp;Theatre&nbsp;and Film, Budapest, her research field is&nbsp;the&nbsp;history of reporting theatre criticism (criticism of denunciation) in Hungary. She was also co-curator of dunaPart 3\u2014the Hungarian Showcase of Contemporary Performing Arts (2015)\u2014and dunaPart 4 (2017).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 14px;\">Copyright <strong>\u00a9<\/strong> 2018 No\u00e9mi Herczog<br \/>\n<em>Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/88x31.png?resize=88%2C31&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"88\" height=\"31\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 14px;\">This work is licensed under the<br \/>\nCreative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No\u00e9mi Herczog* The aim of this article is to give a rough sketch about new tendencies in the Hungarian contemporary performing arts over the past couple of years, and also to give a sense of the social-political context of contemporary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[53],"class_list":["post-776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-reports","tag-by-noemi-herczog","","tg-column-two"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2018\/06\/2.-Ern%C5%91-Fekete-Tam%C3%A1s-Keresztes-and-Zolt%C3%A1n-Bezer%C3%A9di-in-Katona-J%C3%B3zsef-Theatres-production-directed-by-B%C3%A9la-Pint%C3%A9r-2017.-Photo-by-Judit-Horv%C3%A1th.jpg?fit=700%2C504&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Xk3S-cw","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=776"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1560,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776\/revisions\/1560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/17\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}