Jurányi
Opened: 2022
In Hungarian with English subtitles
“Chekhov is one of the most influential authors in the Hungarian brick-and-mortar theatre tradition. This is precisely why it raises so many questions when an independent group such as Narratíva, founded a few years ago, starts working on the playwright’s great text about passing, mourning, and farewell, The Cherry Orchard. Co-directed by the two leaders of the company, Máté Hegymegi and Dániel Kovács D., Demerung, presented almost exclusively by actors in the early stages of their careers, is a poignant work about the tension between generations, their possible relationship to tradition, and the way Lopahin, who keeps calling himself a «peasant», cannot find a place for himself and therefore has to force himself to create one. The central white platform with the ceiling above it, perhaps soon about to collapse, is the former children’s room, which here expands to become the whole world, surrounded by the scattered books on the floor, treated as rubbish and becoming rubbish during the performance, in other words, the cherry orchard itself, condemned to destruction and useless. The creators successfully resist the temptation: Demerung shows the place of the nonexistent glorious past in the hopeless present without pathos, with a refreshed text, delicate humour, parodistic expressions, and surprising acting gestures.” Tamás Jászay, curator
CREDITS
Lyuba: Niké Kurta
Mother: Júlia Ladányi
Varya: Kata Pető
Leonid: Sándor Terhes
Lopakhin: Pál Kárpáti
Peter: Géza Egger
Yepikhodov: Zsolt Domokos
Dunyasha: Lilla Barna
Yasha. Balázs Viktor
Firs: Károly Hajduk
Directed by Dániel D. Kovács, Máté Hegymegi
Light, technical direction: Ádám Langó
Music: Bernadett Tarr
Scenic: Anna Fekete
The script is based on a translation by Géza Morcsányi.
Translation: Emma Vidovszky (EN)
Special thanks to Gábor Székely.
|| strong light effects, smoke ||
REVIEWS
“It contains many images, gestures, and playful ideas - from the scattered, trampled books, through the mind-bending blackout, to Lyuba clinging to the structural elements with immense force - that will surely be preserved in the memory of the viewer for a long time.”
Balázs Urbán, Színház.net
“The direction of Máté Hegymegi and Dániel D. Kovács somehow climbs up a steep hill, Munch’s Scream waiting for us at the top. Niké Kurta’s Lyuba holds on tooth and nail to the “down there”, but it exists no more, there are only slats and crumbling books; those trying to make her let go are having a hard time doing so: she is a strong woman. We have reached the summit.”
Judit Csáki, Revizoronline.com
Narrative Collective
… was founded in 2019 through a unique collaboration of theatre directors who had achieved success in the independent and institutional theatre scene beforehand.
The aim of this alliance formed by creators from theatre scene and related art forms is to express our environment through contemporary methods and effects. To capture the dilemmas of well-being of Hungarian youth and the problems of our society. Narrative Collective approaches these issues in a nuanced way, freely and independently, seeking dialogue with our audience.Our long term goal is to reach as wide social strata as possible, in a broadly inclusive way - the questions we ask are about the world surrounding us, using the tools of theatre while also pushing its boundaries. Since its inception, the group has produced 7 full-length shows, with many performances finding their way to the poorer regions of the country, and representing our way of thinking in theatres and summer festivals in Hungary. In 2022, Demerung was voted “The best independent performance of the year” by the Theatre Critics’ Association in Hungary.
∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕∕
The term demerung is used in filmmaking to describe the few minutes at sunrise or sunset, when the light conditions change rapidly and dramatically. This is when it is possible to capture night shots while there is still some light. This time of day has a curious significance in the story: the subconscious and the supernatural come together here. The lines between imagination and reality are blurred, followed by darkness or blinding light. The dark, of which we are so childishly afraid of, and the light in which the confrontation with each other and with ourselves is even more terrifying than the darkness as an adult.
CONTACT
Viktória Rozgonyi-Kulcsár
kulcsarviktoria@fugeprodukcio.hu
Jurányi Art Incubator House / FÜGE Independently Together
Facebook ▷▷ narrativatarsulat
Instagram ▷▷ narrativakollektiva
Web ▷▷ www.narrativakollektiva.hu, www.juranyihaz.hu, www.fugeprodukcio.hu
SUPPORTERS
Independently Together Public Benefit Association, Ministry of Human Capacities, National Cultural Fund of Hungary, ESZME - Association of European Freelance Artists