In the more than ten years since Zoltán Balázs founded the Maladype Theatre, the company has gained a strong reputation not only in Hungary but also abroad, with its special, groundbreaking, and often improvisational theatrical experiments. In the new season, in addition to several domestic premieres, they will tour "half the world" and organize numerous events. The artistic director and director talks about why they perform less in Hungary, which core pillars show a company's value, and what is missing in Hungarian culture.

- I assume that all these foreign invitations didn’t just fall into your lap.

- It’s the result of several years of work, ongoing consultations with producers and theatre partners, which led to co-production offers and festival invitations. Currently, we have a repertoire of 9 productions, and nearly every performance travels—next, we’re touring India with Egg(s)Hell. After India, we’ll be heading to Iran, followed by a larger American tour. Meanwhile, we’re preparing an unconventional production of The Master and Margarita in co-production with the Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu, on its main stage. I’m directing two performances that build on subtle differences, which will be an exciting challenge for me and for the actors of both companies...

- And between all these travels, you also have several premieres planned in Hungary.

- In mid-November, we had the double premiere of Don Carlos and Egmont. These two performances balance on the edge of very different ways of thinking and worldviews. After that, we start the rehearsal period in Sibiu, with a premiere scheduled for February, then after a few performances, we’ll return home and start working on Don Juan with Sanyi Zsótér. However, we won’t be home for long, because we’ll be attending festivals, and we also need to somehow generate the income to sustain our operations for the year...

- Has the idea of working in a hosting theatre ever come up?

- We’ve done that before and have new invitations as well, but based on various experiences, I think it’s not worth moving into another building temporarily in Hungary, especially if we have a permanent performance space and are constantly on the move. Instead, I prefer the unexpected spaces/conditions of foreign hosting venues or the Radu Stanca main stage. Aside from the variety, this offers a much more financially stable opportunity. A company is only as valuable as how much it travels, how strong and varied its intellectual condition is, and how close its relationship is with the audience. Continuous training and development of these three core pillars is the reason why Maladype has become a "traveling theatre" over the years.

- There will be several regular programs at the Maladype Base in Budapest in addition to the performances.

- The highly successful Free Academy continues, as well as the "Crossroads" series of foreign guest performances. The Base program’s repertoire will also expand with István Orosz’s visual art series and the Maladype Film Club, presented by Attila Janisch. The Carlos Affair has received special attention at the Classroom Review, and it is a key project in our educational programs in close collaboration with schools and universities. In our reading theatre series, in a scenized form, Maladype’s actors will present works by contemporary foreign authors. I’m directing the first play, Theatre of the Absurd by Matei Visniec, and the other three will be directed by guest directors.

- You have a very good relationship with your regular audience.

- So much so that this summer, they volunteered to renovate the Base. It’s wonderful to feel the people’s loyalty and affection, but no matter how full the theatre is, it can’t sustain a company’s operations and planning. It would be better if we didn’t have to worry every day about how we’re going to survive, but could focus on how the company can be more progressive and efficient in everything it has consciously been searching for and exploring over the years. I wish I could guarantee the return on our work every day, for the actors and for the audience. But how and with what, when we still don’t know if we’ll even receive the necessary funding for our operations? Like the other independent theatres, we didn’t even receive our operating grants by mid-November!

- What’s your experience abroad?

- As strange as it may sound, there are still places where patrons are involved in the lives of significant creative workshops and artists because they understand that quality, diplomatic tasks, and convertible culture are areas that return the invested capital. There are difficult situations abroad too, but somehow, the protection of cultural values is more widely integrated across the entire field of culture, so art cannot easily become prey to political games. In these places, it’s unquestionable that culture and education are long-term, sustainable investments.

- Don Carlos, like several of your previous performances, can also be seen as a political reflection.

- Eventually, reality catches up with theatre, as is the case with Don Carlos or King Ubu. The key is to maintain playfulness, the creative and lively nature of the spirit, and not take ourselves too seriously. Krzysztof Warlikowski said about Macbeth: “When ambition pushes human pain aside, lying begins.” Human pain is a part of our everyday lives, and we need to know how to speak about it, give space for self-expression, and bring to light everything that others remain silent about. This is something that is sorely missing today, and the greater its absence, the easier it is to manipulate and dumb down people. And I don’t want to live in a manipulated world.

Krisztina Szepesi, Pesti Műsor, 2012

Translation by Zsuzsanna Juraszek