Angikam. Eastern Kaleidoscope – (Teatro tascabile di Bergamo, IT)

A mix of Indian classical dance-theatre. Following the path of the 20th century’s Masters, in 1978, Teatro Tascabile started its research in Eastern scenic arts, in particular, the Indian classical dance-theatre, as a way toward a complete renewal of theatre and the art of the actor. “Eastern Kaleidoscope” is a mix of extracts by the two disciplines, continuously practiced at Tascabile: Bharata Natyam and Orissi. Their common denominator is the rigor of the technique and the legendary training of the actors, as it is described by the Nātyaśāstra, “ancient treatise on the arts”. BHARATA NATYAM: the classical Indian dance par excellence.  In ancient times it was performed in temples by holy dancers, the Devadasi, who were brought up and instructed in the arts and music solely for this purpose. Bharata is an acronym made by three syllables: bha for bhava, the feeling, ra for raga, the melody and ta for tala, the rhythm. ORISSI: its name comes from the homonymous Indian State of Orissa. It was born from the meeting of two traditions: the Mahari dancers-priestesses of Jagannath and the Gotipua, performed outside the temples by young male dancers, dressed as females.

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Ave, Eva – (Regula contra Regulam, IT)

The performance investigates the possibilities of transformation, and invokes several female figures of the Scriptures, from Eve to Mary, combining dance, songs and the actors’ play. Through the female genealogy, it explores the transitions from innocence to knowledge, from error to growth, from sterility to fertility. It is a coproduction of Regula contra Regulam and the Grotowski Institute of Poland.

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The Black Bull and Other Stories – (Shoshin Theatre Association)

Three bandits and their companions are travelling through the villages. They arrive on stilts from far away, maybe from another era. They are telling their stories while the world keeps changing around them. Our heroes come alive outdoor, transforming the pile of stones into a magic mountain and the garden into an arena. These tales give an opportunity to meet, to exchange and share experience among friends and strangers, children and adults, old and young people.

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Cavalcade. Outdoor etudes – (UBB, Faculty of Theatre and Television second-year actor students)

As the title implies, the performance is made of several elements without following a coherent dramaturgy. There appear stilts, clowns and acrobats, inviting families, both children and adults. The source materials of most of the etudes started to take shape within university classes, led by different teachers: Enikő Györgyjakab, András Hatházi, Simina Oprean, Csongor Köllő and Géza Pintér.

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Circus Dobronka – (Magamura Creative Workshop, HU)

In the sleepy streets of the small town, Dobronka, shreds of old posters are flying. “What days were those, when the world famous circus arrived here…” – Aladár Vogeltanz, the local watchmaker, were contemplating in himself. “The streets of Dobronka suddenly became full of life and excitement… There were fragrance of orange blossom and sounds of trumpet in the air, while the eyes of the young ladies were sparkling and the moustaches of men were twiddled nicer than ever, and the whole world – like an old merry-go-round – were twirling for three days around the circus tent, shining into the night… I wish, I could rewind the time…” – thought the watchmaker. We pay tribute to the charm and beauty of marionette circus, the genre created by the travelling showmen of old times. This is what we recall and remember to in our play, with lion roar, aerialist somersaults, paper roses, a tamed rocking horse, live music and all the world’s miracles!

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Générique – (József Iszlai & Örs Albert-Nagy)

Générique is an unusual pairing of two musicians. Their music is an aesthetic mesh of electronica, acoustic instruments (guitar, saxophone) and spoken word. The search for their personally unique directions in music defines their sound. József Iszlai produces electronic music, composed music for mixed media, works in the field of sound design. Örs Albert-Nagy is a jazz saxophonist, a rhyme enthusiast, but stays true to the inspiration of bebop and the avant-garde, as well as rap cyphers and spoken word.

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The Invasion – (Kud Ljud, SI)

The show invites the passers-by to an “inter-galactic” dialogue, while pink aliens are invading the public spaces of the town. Everything is new for them, so they look freshly at the environment, familiar for the locals. Thus, the performance reflects creatively on social norms and patterns of communications, considering the public space, and blurs the boundaries between performers and spectators. The show has been performed in about 30 countries and 80 festivals.

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Messieur, how embarrassing! – (Teatro tascabile di Bergamo, IT)

Bianco and Augustus are standing there – they need that little: simple clothes, a few objects, hardly any technical demands. This is the show: a dialogue made of somersaults and pretended pinches and punches. Spoken in dialect, macaronic French, highbrow Italian which contrasts dramatically with clown’s rags and boxed ears. Made of rhythm and bravura. Made of somersaults. Made of material poetry. Bianco and Augustus are clowns; which may sound a petty thing, or too trivial a theme for a show – well that’s only to those who cannot recognize the sheer complexity of comicality. This is, after all, the foundation of theatre. These two guys abuse and threat each other. They talk among themselves and only about their own business: but, as it happens with clowns, it is as if the audience was standing on stage next to them. And they – apparently intent in their own exhibited hostility and hidden fondness – may any moment stop their talking to ogle a spectator or question another. They go wrong even in the smallest things, like clowns would do; but they make it up with some acrobatics.

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Streetwalker – (Kud Ljud, SI / Shoshin)

The open-air exhibition with the help of fictional curators, presents everyday objects as artworks by the simple acts of naming them and constructing an art gallery around them. The performance is formed as a guided tour in a museum, during which the “curators” invite the visitors and passers-by to a playful dialogue about the works of art, obscuring the division of fiction and reality.

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Untouchables – (UtcaSzak, HU)

How can some youngsters from Borsod (Hungary) make a virtue out of social disadvantages, stand up and find protection for themselves and each other, become active in shaping their own fate within a society that lacks solidarity and transparency? These are the questions the Untouchables deals with. The performance was created in a hidden village of Irota, in the county of Borsod, using the tools of physical theatre and circus, themes of the everyday life of Cserehát and those, introduces by the young performers. As a starting point, we took the invisible theatre, a theatrical form, which is usually takes place non-expected, in the streets, maybe in houses, gardens and the surrounding places of the city or village.