“Things should belong to those who do well by them.” – Bertolt Brecht

The new production by Árpád Schilling encourages everyone to rethink public life: the critics of the present system, as well as those who think that everything is all right. This performance deals with questions such as: “How does the Party gain power?”, “How does democracy become the toy of power?”, “How is it that we never stop talking about the Party?”, “What is it good for?”, or “How does the Party operate?”

In The Party, a small town serves as the symbol of Hungary, a sort of anti-Europe, where critical art and divergent viewpoints are in oppression and where demagogy, populism, and xenophobia make their ascent. The autocratic Party intrudes in the lives of the villagers like an insidious poison. Árpád Schilling gives the audience cause for stepping outside of the homogeneous theatre space into real life, where we witness the fragility of democracy. The choice is between security and freedom; the fury is palpable.

In this performance, theatre, concert, film, and circus mingle together.

CAST

Performed by Matthieu Gary, Fragan Gehlker, Emőke Kiss-Végh, Zsolt Nagy, Juliette Navis, Tamás Ördög, Lilla Sárosdi, Tünde Szalontay, Vasil Tasevski, Sándor Terhes, Marc Vittecoq

Music: Lawrence Williams and Imre Lichtenberger-Bozoki
Musicians: THE PARTY BAND - Imre Lichtenberger-Bozoki, Levente Boross, Ernő Hock, Ádám Mészáros, Lawrence Williams
Lyrics translated by Péter Závada
Costume designer: Fruzsina Nagy
Assistant to the costume designer: Dóra Pattantyús
Video installations: Zágon Nagy, Máté Tóth-Ridovics
Film crew: Bence Benyusz, Mari Boross, Kristóf Deák, Xénia Fekete, Szabolcs Galgóczy, Szabolcs Gáspár, Ádám Halász, Tamás Hámori, Ambrus Hernádi, Kornél Hidas, Sándor Huszár, Attila Kovács, Kata Kővári, Ferenc Krámli, Sára Levendel, Péter Lukács, Csaba Mecseki, Tamás Németh, Veronika Nemes-Jeles, Zsolt Mona, Zsófia Muhi, Ferenc Nagy, László Nagy-Kardos, József Simon, András Táborosi, Zsófia Tálas, Csaba Tóth, László Zsoldos
Animation: Zoltán Ásmány, Balázs Sánta
Graphic designer: Dániel Sánta, Balázs Turai
Dramaturgy: Bence Bíró
Assistant: Eszter Salamon
Production manager: Edina Schőn and Márton Gulyás
PR: Linda Potyondi, Móni Polgár
Technical director / Light designer: András Éltető
Sound technician: Zoltán Belényesi

Written and directed by Árpád Schilling

KRÉTAKÖR FREE SCHOOL

Students: Balázs Dohy, Anna Fundelius, Fanni Ajna Kertész, Attila Komán, Ágnes Márton, Kristóf Nagy, Alexandra Oláh, Nóra Schultz, Donát Seres

Krétakör Free School coordinator and drama teacher: Bálint Juhász
Krétakör Free School contributors: Ádám Bethlenfalvy, Sára Szilágyi

Thanks to: Márton Ágh

Production Partners: Trafó House of Contemporary Art, Budapest — Hungary, Theatre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine — France, Kunstenfestivaldesarts — Brussels, Belgium, Steirischer Herbst — Graz, Austria
Supporters: Szélkerék Ltd., Open Society Foundation
Partners: Bakelit Multi Art Center, Vision Team
This project is co-produced by NXTSTP, with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union

Read and download the PLAY in Hungarian.
No unauthorized use in full, or part, is permitted without the expressed written permission of the Authors and the Translator. For further enquiries, please contact me in the 'Contact' section.

Photo: Máté Tóth Ridovics

PRESS

• Beatrix Kricsfalusi: Azoké legyen, akik jól bánnak vele. Revizor online, 06. 04. 2014.
   
• Collette M. Schmidt: Olyan messzire menekülök el, amilyen messzire csak lehet. Der Standard, 03. 10. 2014.
   
• Dóra Matalin: Gyenge, szerepzavaros csődörök (interview). Index.hu, 26. 03. 2014.
   
• Martin Thomas Pesl: „MAN MUSS DOCH!“ – Porträt von Árpád Schilling im Magazin herbst, 17. 10. 2014.
   
• Margareta Sörensson: Krétakör The Party. Expressen. 16. 05. 2014.
   
• Suzane Vanina: Délicate démocratie... Rue du Théâtre, 2014. 05. 14.
   
• Colette M. Schmidt: "Ich fliehe so weit weg wie nur möglich". Der Standard, 02. 10. 2014. (interview)