class="">Balàzs Attila: „To me, the best texts are still the classical ones“

October 21st

Balàzs Attila is an actor and the manager of the „Csiky Gergely“ Hungarian Theatre in Timişoara. In 2010, UNITER awarded „Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead“, in which he was playing the part of Guildenstern, for “Best performance” during the UNITER Gala. This year, two of the productions of the theatre he is running have been selected for the NTF: “Moliendo Café”, directed by Silviu Purcărete and “The Beggar’s Opera”, after John Gay, directed by Kokan Mladenovic.

An interview by Florina Tecuceanu

Florina Tecuceanu: The performance „Moliendo Café” is a co- production of the German and the Hungarian theatres. Why this “cultural mix”?

Balàzs Attila: This mix is symbolically, historically and practically the definition of the cultural milieu in which this performance has been created, since the two companies share the building. We are sharing the Grand Hall every year and our routes cross, artistically and in our daily routines. It’s true that this is our first communication, but we managed to work as a homogenous group, like one ensemble, under the direction of Silviu Purcărete. It’s a co- production in the true sense of the word.- we took equal shares in the production costs, in the artistic effort and we ended up with one new ensemble and an exceptional performance, certainly one that stands out in the Romanian actual context.

You act in both performances. What were the challenges and the difficulties you encountered in the construction of the characters you play in „Moliendo Café” and in  „The Beggar’s Opera”?

Moliendo Café is an improvisation show, so each actor harvested what and as much as he seeded. Those you were more involved in the creation process are also better represented in the result. My character has an advantage, it’s not so fragmented, and it follows a path from the beginning till the end. It’s hard, because I had to create action mainly from a simple presence within the space of the stage. No text, just situations that need to be resolved. There is text, in fact, but one in a language we invented ourselves.

Regarding the part in The Beggar’s Opera, there we have a classical text, reinterpreted by Kokan Mladenović. Kokan mixed classicism and improvisation as a reaction to what happens in our present time. I have had two previous encounters with this story, in its classical version, that of Bertolt Brecht, I played the head of the beggars, then I switched to being head of police- and from this second posture I could  see that playing the chief beggar was like a kind of promotion for me. I like Mr. Peachum, even more because playing him implies improvisation.

How would you convince the audiences in Bucharest to come see the two shows „Moliendo Café” and „The Beggar’s Opera”, at the NTF?

Moliendo Café is based on the improvisations of over 35 actors. It’s an atmospheric comedy, with good music and a scent of coffee. Each scene has her story, but they are all in tune with the story of the main character, one who is like a homo viator, crossing the odyssey of coffee in space and time. Very importantly, it’s a non- verbal show, as opposed to The Beggar’s Opera, a performance that bears a message, that sounds like a protest, harshly criticizing society. In this masterpiece of his, John Gay managed to stress the connections between bankers, criminals, policemen, all working in the same system, a system aiming at destroying, at impoverishing the simple human being. It is a strongly militant show, as is, in its essence, the Serbian director’s theatrical attitude.

Theatre virus: how and when did it catch you? What was your first encounter with theatre?

I had my first encounter as a child, I was 12 when I played The Little Prince. Many years after that I realized how lucky I had been to have this encounter, at that age, in that moment in life.

Why did you choose to become an actor?

When I was 18 and all my colleagues directed themselves towards serious studies, I realized I wasn’t good at anything…and so I chose acting. Not much changed since then (laughs).

There must be a list of people you would direct your gratitude to, those to whom you own what you are today. Could you reveal these names?

Yes, for my first encounter with theatre, Mrs. Szász-Mihálykó Mária, for The Little Prince. Becoming an actor… I owe that to my drama school teacher, Tarr Laszlo- I learned a lot from him, even outside classes. And I’d thank Victor Ioan Frunză for my experiences in theatre.

If you were to pick a few of the parts you played, what would those be?

All actors dream of playing Hamlet; I didn’t have this chance. But still, I was lucky to play great parts in great plays, like Lorenzaccio, Beckett, The Professor in The Lesson, or, more recently, Peer Gynt. These are the pillars of my career. There are other parts as well, that I like to name “the springs”. Still, I don’t think there are small parts and big parts. Some of my parts involved singing: The Three Penny Opera, in German, or now, my part in The Beggar’s Opera, the performance we present at the NTF; or my one-man shows. But to me, the best texts are still the classical ones.

What premieres are upcoming at the „Csiky Gergely” Hungarian Theatre Timişoara this fall?

We had our first premiere this season on October 2^nd, Guppi, directed by Mucsi Zoltan, after a text by Vasili Sigariev. Rehearsals for the musical Hair, directed by Puskás Zoltán, have started and the premiere is due in November. Equus, by Peter Shaffer comes next, directed by Radu Afrim. So stay tune with the Hungarian Theatre in Timişoara.

Two years ago you launched a series of workshops dedicated to youngsters. Are there other programs addressed to this age category?

Yes. We have a project called Dincolo de scenă/ Beyond stage- actors working with people who are not connected with theatre, introducing them to the magic of theatre, through games and creative activities. We are oriented towards the young audiences and we manage to encounter this group in various locations, near them. I now think of Theatre in the Library, by which the high school people are invited to readings of texts from the theatre repertoire. The Hungarian Theatre in Timişoara was a partner and the host of  the National Acting Olympiad. We also meet with young audiences during the workshops we do at the „Bartók Belá“ High School, we do present our puppet theatre shows there. And, we do have a partnership with festivals, Plai,  for example, we do there painting venetian masks and puppet construction workshops.

End September, the Hungarian Theatre in Timişoara hosted the Performative Arts Festival. What is the role of this festival and how often will it take place?

We had our first edition this year and we had artists with a critical discourse, from the field of contemporary dance, from Germany, Romania, Serbia and France performing not only inside the theatre, but also in other important cultural points within the city. We have acquired this initiative of putting Timişoara back on the map of the performative arts open heartedly. As the organizers say, this festival opens the door to the ex- Yugoslavian space, especially through Saša Asentić’s  collaboration. Her presented his show „Revolution Won’t Be Performed“, realized in co- production with the Serbian National Theatre and Per Art. The Initiative is excellent and I personally do support it and identify with it, even more since the Hungarian Theatre in Timişoara has a certain sensibility towards this space. I am here referring to the Euroregional Festival of Theatre Timişoara – TESZT- a yearly encounter of companies form the geographical space Danube-Criş-Mureş-Tisza, taking place in the month of May, that manages to gain more and more international terrain. Such a festival means encounters with great theatre creators and youngsters, students from the involved countries.

INFO

Moliendo Café is an improvisation show directed by Silviu Purcărete, set and costumes designed by Dragoş Buhagiar, co-production of the German State Theatre Timişoara and the „Csiky Gergely” Hungarian State Theatre Timişoara.

The Beggar’s Opera, based on John Gay’s writing, directed by Kokan Mladenovic, set design by Marija Kalabic, costume design by Tatjana Radisic, is a production of the „Csiky Gergely” Hungarian State Theatre Timişoara.

October  21^st  2015