Kosztolányi Dezső Theatre (Subotica) – András Urbán Company
Urbi et orbi
A verbally textual orality, gradually discarding J. Pilinszky’s play.
Merlin Theatre, 2008. November 25. (Tuesday) 19:00
(70 minutes, without interval. In Hungarian, with English subtitles.)
There will be a post-show talk!
Márta Béres, Andrea Erdély, Árpád Mészáros, Imre Elek Mikes.
Technical advisor: Attila Úri
Costume: everybody sleeps in what they please
Director: András Urbán
Partner: MASZK Egyesület, (Szeged)
Supporters:
Flórián Műhely – Mozgóház Alapítvány (Budapest), NKA (Nemzeti Kulturális Alap), PSOK (Tartományi Oktatásügyi és Kulturális Titkárság), OKM (Oktatási és Kulturális Minisztérium), BESZT (Befogadó Színházak Társulása)
foto: Edvárd Molnár
Director András Urbán, head of the Kosztolányi Theatre of Subotica, was born in 1970 at Zenta. At seventeen he started a theatre and literature workshop, after which with help from his friends he created the AIOWA group, which viewed theatre as something that is specific, while at the same time a genesis of all the arts, and also a platform for ideology. He studied film and theatre direction at the Újvidék Academy of Arts, where he suspended his studies for five years. Thereafter he returned to graduate, and started directing at the Kosztolányi Dezső Theatre. He became the head of the theatre in 2006.
Right now the Kosztolányi Dezső Theatre / András Urbán Company is the most successful theatrical workshop in the Vajdaság. The theatre was founded by the municipality of Subotica, and has since changed into the city’s experimental, alternative art-theatre. The András Urbán Company is a non-formal theatrical group, as was originally true for director András Urbán’s productions, which all give a testament to the director’s independence in both his unique working methods and his aesthetics. In the last few years the work of the KDT and the work of the AUC have become even closer, both on production and creative levels. The company of five, consisting of actors who graduated just recently, has been present at almost every important theatrical festival in Hungary and Serbia with their Urbi et orbi and Brecht – The Hardcore Machine productions.
As per its genre, Urbi et orbi is a “verbally textual orality”. The production is based on János Pilinszky’s play by the same name, but is actually very much departed from the original, as written on the playbill: it gradually discards Pilinszky’s play. The production’s motto is this: “It is us at the depths of our actions: a free self, marvellous freedom itself.”
“They know what they are saying. Know why they are saying it. Know what they need to say. They are genuine. True. They can convince the audience that they are so. The company of Subotica has taken Pilinszky out of his own play, has freed the performance from being a mere collection of theatrical anecdotes, from being a simple re-enactment of the canonized story. We are mesmerized by the four actors through the way they convey their simple and clean theatrical message. Four young, talented actors; we cannot help but pay close attention.” (Péter Molnár Gál, Népszabadság)
Date of the performance: 2008. November 25. (Tuesday), 19:00
Venue: Merlin Theatre (Budapest, V. Gerlóczy str. 4.)
Tickets: Merlin Theatre [
For further information visit: www.kosztolanyi.org
