- Maladype has not kept its own troupe for a while, but always with different partners and in different places forms its own performances. Why has it happened that way?

- The Covid pandemic, the loss of the permanent performing place and the unpredictable financial conditions all add to the changing nature of our functioning. The lack of stable economical and structural conditions, which can ensure our artistic evolution, have forced us to think over our strategy. To be able to keep status, which our name and result worth, we have to change radically our earlier form of work. However during the last two and half decade mainly permanent groups have formed the brand of Maladype, between the mentioned circumstances it would be silly to insist on the idealized role model of a workshop process, which is made by our own troupe. Fortunately, since our foundation, a highlighted attention has followed our work on the international stage too, so a new request or a new offer for coproduction always wait for us somewhere.

- Do you have any permanent colleagues?

- Yes, I do. I actually have four fixed colleagues, who are multifunctional ones on the fields of economy, logistic, administration and art too. Our wide-ranged presence is fostered by their vocation and amazing energy. Our partners abroad and in Hungary ensure the infrastructural needs of our performances on repertoire, but we do the national and international marketing together. Since the January 2025, I have been the art director of METTRIN center on the side of Lake Bánki, so we play some of our performances there too. For us this is the most acceptable model of functioning now.

- Last time a collection was proclaimed to keep Theatre Proton alive and they managed to reach their aim. Have not you thought about a similar solution?

- No, I have not. This type of encouragement for crowdfunding is far from me.

- But earlier you have applied for some Hungarian state funding.

- We are applying even today but mostly with little success.

- Can be some kind of change in case of them?

- There must be. Most of the independent groups have reached the borders of their ability of life, the frustration that comes from their disability of planning is consuming their creative energy. Those performers’ direct effect and efficiency, who think innovatively, become lower and lower. Against this phenomenon even, the advocacies are helpless, but they have not been able to state a forward-thinking strategy. In the circle of independent troupes, the professional selection must have been done in time. That way those tropes which have important past, results and long-term concept, could be put into an emphasised functional category, those groups, which are trying their wings can demonstrate with the help of a starting sum of money, then later they can be put into another category thank for their results. I have stated it many times in announcements too, but unfortunately, everything has remained the same, the involved ones could not agree and stand up for themselves and each other collectively. Partly this is the reason of our present situation...

- You are on that list in which the Hungarian Theatrical Association nominates artists for awards. What do you think about the method of sharing state awards at present?

- It is honourable to be nominated on this list, which has professional and human trust. At the same time, I feel unworthy that the Hungarian Theatrical Association has to turn towards public to restore its damaged public trust and draws deciders and plenum’s attention to those guiding performers’, models’ and masters’ personalities, who have already needed to get one or another artistic tribute because of their unquestionable artistic contribution to Hungarian and universal theatrical culture and of their unquestionable oeuvre. The facts are stubborn things and those, who belong to this profession, know well how these things are going on...

- Maladype is 25 years old, as the founder of the troupe, how much you are occupied by the present, national theatrical atmosphere, which is split in two and many times raises enmity?

- Thanks for God I can allow myself to avid the inbred Hungarian situation and to concentrate mostly on the creation and creative energies. Anyway, it is far from me to state direct messages, to express my opinion in a combative way. The public mood, which is whipped up because of different interests can wear out all sensitive artists, and if they are not prepared well enough against these assaults, they can lose easily their creative autonomy, their mood to search and explore, their ambition. As I came very far from here and I was not grown up in the shadow of the national theatrical “oaks”, I always remain an outsider. Maybe this strangeness nature gives my strongest power, my curiosity that can be fulfilled by change and renewal.

- The troupe has changed many times during the past 25 years. Is there anything on which you would decide differently today?

- No, I would not. It has been done by the time and the given situation instead of me.

- Scheduled to the anniversary year you are going to direct a Hungarian premiere. What should be known about it in advance?

- We are going to put on stage the adaptation of Can Themba’s short story, The Suit at the end of June. Today we can say that the classical author from South Africa was explored by Peter Brook for Europe in the 90s, its effect has been elemental even today. The story, which treats in a unique way the topic of domestic violence and the social division, is going to be put on stage by Csilla Radnay, Barna Kelemen Bányai and Ferenc Fehér in our performance. Adrián Kovács is the composer of the contemporary jazz-opera, which is rich in surreal elements. The production, which is made in cooperation, together with the 20 years old Bánki Jazz, the METTRIN, the Maladype and the African and European partners, will be performed during the summer with a five-member orchestra in Bánk, then in Gyula on the World Literature Classics Festival and in Budapest on the competition program of Szemle Plusz Open-Air Theatre Festival.

- The history of Maladype will be expanded in a form of an album. The ten years old story of the troupe is completed with the next fifteen years now. Why have you thought it to be important?

- Our published album on English and Hungarian language that dealt with our ten years old existence was a great success, that’s why we have thought it to be important to make touchable this past fifteen years too. The second piece, which is made in the spirit of encounters, does not only introduce the performances but also the performers of them, it gives a cross-section about the special operation, which reaches over eras and the wide-ranged culture-diplomatic actions too. We have learnt from Mari Törőcsik, that it is not enough to look ahead we should look backward too from time to time, to make us remember where we came and who we are. We have worked out the past 25 years along this idea, which seem to be 50, if we take into consideration the effort and dedication.

- The Maladype founds an award, which is named after Judit Gombár, designer and university teacher.

- From the first moment from my awake as a director, up until her death in 2016, Judit was the permanent production designer of my performances. The Maladype and I can thank a lot for her, we feel that we are responsible for maintaining and passing on her extraordinary human and professional inheritance. However, she “brought into situation” many performers on the fields of dance-, theatre- and film-art and presented the Hungarian culture with her designs, which were over their own time, she has been talked about undeservedly a little. The Judit Gombár Interdisciplinary Art Award, which we would like to give out first on the namesake’s birthday, on 13th September, it would appreciate worthily to her bright soul and universal talent those uniquely, high-qualitied artists, whose perspective can put a new standard in front of the future of theatre and its partner arts. The members of the trustees are Hajnal Tordai, set designer, Léna Megyeri dance-art critic and myself.

- Have you thought about to step on stage as an actor again?

- I have not, but others have. I often get invitations but as my lifestyle concentrates mostly abroad, it cannot make possible to accept any of them honourably. A special material has raised my interest as an actor nowadays. If the time, which is needed for its fulfilment, can be created somehow, maybe I will accept the influence...

Gyula Balogh, Népszava, 2026

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)