‘When it comes to the representation of women and female roles, Hungarian theater seldom reflects on the tradition of masculine, patriarchal representation, nor on how the construing and normative power of the male gaze appears through it. This is exactly the theme of Veronika Szabó’s performance, Queendom. We see a line-up of various female images, beauty ideals and behaviour patterns taken from classic paintings, magazines, films, advertisements, porn and children’s movies, that is, from the complete visual (and non-visual) world that surrounds us. They are displayed by eight female performers, only to be disassembled soon after with lots of humour. The performance evokes familiar stereotypes, but at the same time it also indicates their subtleties and diversity. Behind the provocatively sexy, erotic, quietly romantic, elegant, warrior-like and hysterical female figures stand the performers: eight charmingly powerful female artistes. The question is: Can we change or even radically alter the male gaze that fundamentally determines our very culture? This is what Queendom asks and at the same time strives for.’ Anikó Varga, curator

CREDITS

Concept & director: Veronika Szabó

Performers: Luca Borsos, Julia Jakubowska, Rozália Kemény, Fanni Lakos, Lori Baldwin, Viktória Makra, Sarah Günther, Veronika Szabó

Consultants: Márta Ladjánszki, Tamara Zsófia Vadas
Sound editor: Dávid Somló
DJ: Veronika Vida
Costumes: Anna Ádám
Lights: Máté Bredán
Special thanks to: Klára Cserne, Máté Czakó, Zsuzsa Rózsavölgyi, Júlia Vavra

REVIEWS

“Veronika Szabó, a member of the youngest generation of Hungarian directors, deals with the methodology of collaborative devising and leaves behind the dictatorial toolbox of the director’s theatre. She came into the limelight with a work which demonstrated the individuality of her artistic voice and highlighted gender issues., which are rarely a theme in the Hungarian theatre. Queendom (2017), which was produced by an international group of artists, creates a democratic atmosphere. Built upon scenes (which often test the limits) involving seven women, it is performed mostly without words, and with background music. It puts the human body on show bravely and openly. Influenced by Jérôme Bel, it is marked by feminism, eroticism and strong emotional effects. It does not deal directly with the problem of sexual harassment, but, rather, it considers the way we see the female body.
The performance confronts female audience members with their expectations towards their own female roles; their attitude to the normative body-image; the notion of their own beauty; and whether they are able to review the expectations unconsciously working deep within themselves.” Noémi Herczog: Out of the Box(-office): New Trends in Hungarian Performing Arts, Critical Stages

‘Queendom is the absolute No. 1 of theatre shows that I have recently seen. What we see is Veronika Szabo and her seven co-creators’ interpretation of watching, voyeurism, conforming to the audience’s, and within that to the male gaze, and how all this could result in a kind of roleplay and a distortion of women’s personalities. Queendom is a hit in the ‘Arccal a Halnak’ programme. It understands and uses the tools of contemporary performance and the ‘in your face’ theatre very well, and effectively challenges the comfort zone of the audience.’ Zsofia Palffy: No bra day, Kutszelistilus.hu

‘Queendom presents standard female roles but immediately puts them in quotation marks using brilliant gestures and jokes. As a matter of fact, it is the same in real life: we often show the cloven hoof, because we are not virgins, sculptures, bitches, queens or birth canals. We are ourselves, but it is hard to find ourselves amongst the roles offered. They say that women and especially feminist women have a bad sense of humour. But Veronika Szabo’s Queendom is a refreshing contradiction to this stereotype.’ Panni Puskas: Cross-dressing, szinhaz.net

TOURS & FESTIVALS ABROAD

Femini Fatalni Festival, Praha (2018)
TESZT, Euroregional Theatre Festival Festival, Timisorara, Romania (2018)
Desire Central Station Festival - barbaricum, Subotica, Serbia (2018)
FEMart Festival 7, Pristhina, Kosovo (2019)

VERONIKA SZABÓ

...is a freelance actor, director and community theatre facilitator. She has graduated in the MA Advanced Theatre Practice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London, studying physical theatre and contemporary theatre practices. Before that she studied Applied Theatre at Goldsmiths University. She was a member of the London Clown School and from 2019 she is a member of the Red Nose International Clown Network. In her theatre performances (Warpaint (2015), The baby (2016), The Timestealers (2016), Queendom (2017), Animal City (2018), Dino Coming Out (2018) she usually breaks the 4th wall, creating playful, comic and visceral shows. She often invites the audience to join in as well. She works around topics of identity, female body, the grotesque and humanimal behaviours. She has created site specific theatre and headphone theatre performances too. Her show, Queendom has won the Award from the Audience at Thealter Festival. Her works have been presented at theatres and festivals in the UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania, Kosovo. She has also directed several community theatre shows and regularly runs drama and theatre workshops for communities and young people as well as for professionals. In 2016 she worked as a presenter in the comedy-documentary TV programme ‘Immigrant’s Guide to Britain’ on Channel 4. She is a member of the international post-species poppunk band, Maria Inkoo and a Hungarian band, Neonnutria.

SUPPORTERS

National Cultural Fund of Hungary, L1 Association, Ministry of Human Capacities, SIN Arts Centre, Workshop Foundation, Artus Studio, MU Theatre

CONTACT

Anikó Rácz, SÍN Arts Centre
racz@sinarts.org
+36.20.525.1551