'It is unusual in Hungarian theatre for the visual or audio elements to have an equal role with the text. The new genre of ‘catwalk concert’ is a fruit of an exceptional collaboration. One of the collaborators is the Soharóza choral ensemble, led by Dóra Halas, who uses improvisational and collective composing methods to create their own music. The other is costume designer Fruzsina Nagy, who has her own past in fashion theatre, and who regularly works together with director Viktor Bodó. The first collaborative work of the creators was the performance Taboo Collection, which focused on Hungarian social taboos. The Issue is a story of Kafkian wandering in the absurd maze of Hungarian bureaucracy, as exemplified by the costumes of Nagy and the music of Halas and sound designer Márk Bartha. The musical structure of the ‘fashion show’ was inspired by a piece by Zoltán Kodály, one of the most famous composers and folk song collectors of the 20^th century. His dramatic folk-ballad, The Spinning Room, is a series of etudes about rural life using Transylvanian folk music. Similarly, The Issue offers a glimpse into our lives through a chain of Hungarian folk songs in new arrangement, this time painting an abstract living picture of urban and modern society. The quirky, contemporary costumes and the songs accompanying them each have a ‘story’ of their own, contrasting iconic and elevated national values with everyday Hungarian reality.' Noémi Herczog, curator

CREDITS

Performers: Petra Al-Farman, Szaffi Asbóth, Dániel Bartos, Judit Biksz, Ilona Liliána Birtalan, Tamás Bogdán, Dóra Botka, Fanni Eckhardt, Judit Sára Elek, Sarolta Eörsi, Magda Göttinger, Dániel Jankó, Laura Justin, Roland Karosi, Lóránt Kégl, Ákos Lokody, Ákos Lovász, Sarolta Majkut, Kata Nagy, Lilla Nagy, Zsófia Nagy, Dóra Rácz, Zsófia Remes, Anna Sebők, Júlia Simon, András Sipos, László Somogyi, Bálint Szalontai, Máté Szilvay, Borbála Tamási, Tamás Tárnoki

Musical director, composer: Dóra Halas
Costume designer: Fruzsina Nagy
music, sound design: Márk Bartha
Dramaturgy, texts: Ádám Fekete
Choreography: Emese Cuhorka
Set: Juli Balázs
Lights: Áron Kovács
Headdresses: 3rd year BA scenography students of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts
Folk singing tutor: Réka Annus
Sound: Viktor M. Szabó
Technical director: András Éltető
Assistants to the directors: Jutka Szokol
Project assistants: Petra Al-Farman, Tamás Bogdán
Directed by: Dóra Halas, Fruzsina Nagy

REVIEWS

’A catwalk that turns into a kind of weeping celebration, where the stage is impregnated with transforming, meaningful costumes (Fruzsina Nagy) and singing models, who perform re-written folk songs borrowed from the Székelyfonó by Zoltán Kodály (texts by Ádám Fekete).

These recycled, hilarious melodies, supplemented with the gestural and sematic choreography (Emese Cuhorka), mock and exaggerate the ’typical Hungarian’ absurd bureaucracy, the world of skilful entrepreneurs and the undermined balance between nature and humanity.’ Zsuzsanna Komjáthy, dancefeed.org

‘(…) The Issue pays tribute to Hungarian bureaucracy and to the Hungarians lost in its maze. The idea of the creators to present this to a Hungarian audience in a series of folklore etudes, is a triumph. They use a very carefully crafted form and sophisticated visuals to entertain and amaze the people. After all, this is what theater is for. The costumes designed by Fruzsina Nagy are themselves overwhelming: they are models with complete worlds, phantasmagorias, wildernesses and lives of their own. They transform in front of our eyes and go beyond the stage.

The Soharóza Choir and the actors, under the guidance of Dóra Halas, sing hilariously witty folk songs, only partially resembling the original lyrics of Kodály, about the experiences of the poor customers and the conflicts that generally arise between the individual and the system.

The folk songs, which the Soharóza choir has rewritten using its unique, collective and improvisational music editing methods, clothe the scenario sketches that are presumably based on improvised situations. By building on authentic elements and having received a refreshed, electronic accompaniment these contemporary choral pieces provide the link between modern-day and established scenarios.’ Artner Silvia Sisso, Színház.net

SOHARÓZA

...is a Budapest-based experimental choral ensemble, founded in 2008 by Dóra Halas at the suggestion of renowned theatre director Viktor Bodó. The group produces multidisciplinary performances through a completely new approach to choral music and collective singing, utilising special creative techniques. They experiment and improvise with the human voice, language, movement, rhythm and folk music as well as composed pieces. They continually search for new forms and sounds and use collective choral composition methods developed by themselves.

DÓRA HALAS

...leader of the Soharóza choral ensemble, received her doctorate (DLA) at the Liszt Academy of Budapest in 2013. The theme of her DLA dissertation was choral improvisation, from which her current research topic arose. She experiments with collective choral composition and as such expands the limits of traditional choir music. Her main artistic interest lies in multidisciplinary performances. As conductor, singer and composer she has worked in numerous theatre and dance productions.

FRUZSINA NAGY

...started her career in alternative theatre productions and over the past decade she has directed several individual performances using costumes as the ’main characters’ on stage. She has worked with directors Árpád Schillig, Róbert Alföldi, Tamás Ascher, Gábor Máté, Viktor Bodó and many others, and has contributed to international productions. She is highly interested in the relationship between the human body and its surrounding world, working with costumes, masks, make-up, fashion and visuals. She received the ’Best Costume and Mask Award’ at the Hungarian Theatre Festival in 2009 and 2013, and was chosen as ’Costume Designer of the Year’ in 2016 for her Taboo Collection costumes. At the 2019 Hungarian Theatre Critics’ Award Nagy was awarded 'Best Costume Designer' for The Issue.

In 2019 she was part of the Hungarian designer team at the Prague Quadriennale, where they received the ’Award for Best Exhibition of Countries and Regions’ for their work entitled Intinite Dune.

CO-PRODUCERS

CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival, Trafó House of Contemporary Arts

SUPPORTERS

CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival, National Culture Fund, Mohai Audio Ltd.

CONTACT

Alina Karnics
catwalk.concert@gmail.com
+36.30.782.6969