Theatre in the Woods – The next performance in the Unconventional Spaces (in Hungarian: Rendhagyó terek) theatre series, ‘Sárkány’ (Dragon), will premiere on 5 July
The theatre segment of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture Programme, Unconventional Spaces, was launched in June. The first play was an adult puppet theatre piece by the Budapest Puppet Theatre, Apa lánya (A Father's Daughter). Soon to come is a space-specific, improvisation-based performance by Amargant Színházi Műhely (Amargant Theatre Workshop) on 5 and 6 July.
The VEB2023 ECoC Unconventional Spaces programme is for anyone who loves theatre and is curious about what happens when the troupe oversteps the borderlines of the classical theatre environment. On 5 and 6 July, in the woods at Farkasgyepű, viewers will experience how the elemental power of nature influences the actors' performance and see how trees, rivers, meadows, and even daily life interwoven by fears come to life. The Amargant Theatre Workshop's play, Dragon, is an improvisational performance that engages the audience and achieves almost all the objectives of the VEB2023 ECoC theatre concept, including sustainability and education. The director, Lénárd Ilyés, talked about this and the behind-the-scenes details of the production, among other things.
Theatre is a community experience, but what happens when you involve the audience starting with the very birth of the play? The Amargant Theatre Workshop's play, Dragon, was an open book for the people of Farkasgyepű from almost the beginning. Lénárd Ilyés, the play's director, and the performers actively involved the local community from the start of the preparations and the community welcomed the ideas of the producers with an open mind.
In May, we set up a meeting in Farkasgyepű, which the locals welcomed, and we received quite a bit of help from them. The costumes for the play were designed from materials already at hand, in the spirit of sustainability. We received offers and donations for this, for example. They also helped us a lot with suggesting the best channels for spreading the word about the production among the locals and the people in the neighbouring area.
– says Lénárd.
Amargant Theatre Workshop
Due to the structure of the play, amateurs have an opportunity to take part in the episodes. This was advertised among the villagers. What makes the production so unusual is that amateur actors and the professionals construct the story, which is firmly based on interaction with the audience.
The play starts with a tour, which immediately involves the audience. We like them to change places, walk around, and to rotate a little in space. For example, the audience will be seated on logs, giving them a different experience from sitting on a chair. They can turn around easily, depending on where something is happening in the surrounding space.
Girls and boys can still join the production: girls and boys over 14 who would like to volunteer as extras or episode characters can apply to participate in this unique theatrical adventure.
Costume designs for the play
A play like this depends a lot on the environment, as nature is constantly changing. Should it rain in the days leading up to the event everyone needs to be prepared for the ground to be in any sort of condition, or the stream to flow more forcefully. The woods constantly improvise, just as the actors do for the Dragon.
Farkasgyepű
Improvising the play means that the director - in this case, me - puts the skeleton together. He determines the main dramaturgical turning points, where he wants the story to go, how many scenes there are and with what titles. Once this is done, the actors are cast, and they get half an hour or an hour to devise solutions to the structure described. This is the improvisation part, which everyone then acts out. We videotape each scene and finally round out the story to form a whole.
The performance will last about two hours and feature seven actors, with the local extras popping up occasionally. The production is based on the story of St. George and the Dragon, but it's not a rigid re-enactment of the legend; the characters have symbolic significance.
There is plenty of fear in the world, most of it brought on by the coronavirus epidemic. Fears about being in crowded places, fear to travel. Will there be other waves of the epidemic or not, and if yes, what will happen to us? There is a war going on. We are full of doubts. Can we possibly put an end to these things? These are the questions we are searching the answers to.
Farkasgyepű
The Amargant Theatre Workshop's play, Dragon will be performed twice a day on 5 and 6 July, both days in the Farkasgyepű Woods, starting at 2:30 and 6:00 p.m.
You can register for the performances HERE.
You can register as an extra in the performance at [email protected].
