‘What does Europe and European identity mean today? What are the fears and visions that unite or, as it happens, separate the citizens of the EU? Imagine what it would be like to hear citizens, instead of politicians, talk about these issues. STEREO AKT’s performance, which was produced and premiered in Germany, is a playful social experiment investigating these questions with the participation of local civilians and the audience. Robotic, hesitant Eurohumanoid presenters manage the show that is made up of statistics, interactive polls and focus group interviews. What the creators realize here is an ironic and thought-provoking staging of the ‘average’ European citizen and the mechanisms of democratic decision-making. Director, Martin Boross, and in keeping with his previous works, regards theatre as a platform of active social criticism and as a community game, which turns the viewer into a co-creator. It does so by incorporating their voice, face, opinion and decision.’ Anikó Varga, curator

CREDITS

Performers: Luca Borsos, László Göndör, Julia Jakubowska, Imre Vass

Graphic designer, animator: Zoltán Ásmány
Music, sound design: Márk Bartha
Set design: Stephan Potengowski
Costume design: Raissa Kankelfitz
Lights, technical director: Mátyás Jankó
Production assistant: Sophie Eckhardt, Ilja Mirsky, Dóra Tési
Dramaturg: Gábor Thury
Producer: Daniel Mayer
Director: Martin Boross

REVIEWS

’”Your clothes, your hair, your posture”, which are European in a Hungarian way, and will one day hopefully become Hungarian in a European way, are worth looking at and adjusting. They are worth a great deal! European Freaks is one of the most compact, collected, stylishly witty and thought provoking performances of STEREO AKT to date.’ Gábor Csatádi, Pótszékfoglaló

’”Bubbles of concepts” relating to the European Union burst one by one during the show directed by Boross. For example, when the focus group turns the twelve stars on the EU’s flag into dolphins with a click, or when it uses tarot cards to tell the future of the Union. We hear the EU news headlines all over again and we can leave with the knowledge that we have fulfilled our duties as EU citizens. But we are very far from that. (Be)thinking and the fragmented sentences we address to each other, are only the beginning. It would be great if the average European would genuinely talk to each other about these issues, or simply talk to each other.’ Fruzsina Lilla Németh, Színház.net

STEREO AKT

...is one of the most progressive Hungarian contemporary theatre collectives, which creates event-like performances under the leadership of Martin Boross. We create in the present for the present, initiating dialogues about communities and society in general. All of our performances rely on the presence of the audience members. We work along causes, and according to the concept of each performance we involve collaborators from various fields: theatre, dance, music, sound design, visual and fine arts.

We work with innovative approaches and new perspectives, using new dramaturgies and technologies on stage and in public spaces as well. Theatre is an event, audience members are participants, and the point of the event is the meeting of the participants' reality with the fantasy of the artist. The essence of STEREO AKT performances is born from the, often wordless, dialogue between the audience and the performers.

Since its foundation in 2013, STEREO AKT has created 15 full-length performances, a documentary movie, and a number of smaller-scale artistic projects. We have worked in numerous local and international collaborations, and have participated in well-known festivals and won several awards. STEREO AKT has worked at the Trafo House of Contemporary Arts, the Jurányi House and at MU Theatre in Budapest, and in many collaborative projects in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Spain and the US.

STEREO AKT participated in dunaPart3 (2015) with Promenade and dunaPart4 (2017) with Addressless.

Co-PRODUCERS

Institute for Theatrical Future-Research at the Room Theater Tübingen

SUPPORTERS

Allianz Cultural Foundation; Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg; National Cultural Fund of Hungary

CONTACT

Daniel Mayer
daniel.mayer@stereoakt.hu
+36.30.641.4887