Active Roma Women in the Countryside
The full material can be read below in Hungarian.
Our local partners:
- Valamit Mindenkiért Association, Örkény
- Csepp a Tengerben Foundation, Pilis
- Polyi Arnold Cultural Center, Törökszentmiklós
PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this complex initiative was to empower Roma women living in rural areas, enhancing their social awareness and active citizenship. The elements of the project have been part of our methodological toolkit for years, and based on feedback, they have proven to have a reinforcing and inspiring effect on various marginalized groups. Within the framework of this initiative, we aimed to empower predominantly—but not exclusively, to ensure an inclusive effect—Roma women citizens living in three rural communities.
The first step involved a theatrical performance at each location, followed by a discussion to process the experience. At all three locations, we performed our play titled “Chameleon Girl.” The second step was a Roma Heroes Workshop in each community. We have been conducting this non-formal activity for seven years for various target groups both at home and abroad, and the methodology has been adapted by several of our European partners. The third element is also a workshop. During the “I Am the Hero” workshop, participants develop plans for individual and group actions based on their strengths and interests. It is important that the 20 participants who attended the previous workshop primarily take part in this one, as they have already shared views, stories, and common success experiences.
Based on the results of the project and the feedback from those involved, we can conclude that in all three communities, we successfully implemented an important, empowering, and citizenship-inspiring series of programs. We thank the German Marshall Fund for its support, all our staff and partners for their dedicated work, and the women of Örkény, Pilis, and Törökszentmiklós for daring to dream and making their dreams a reality.
Our project supporters:
The German Marshall Fund of the United States and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Complete material: Aktív Roma Vidéki Nők Esettanulmány
DIVERSE ROMA THEATERS FOR INCLUSIVE EUROPE
NEW PUBLICATION – SEE THE FULL MATERIAL AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE
During the 2023 Roma Heroes International Theater Festival, three different workshops were organized by Independent Theater Hungary, Giuvlipen from Romania, and Rampa Prenestina from Italy:
- ‘Consent and Healing in Theater’ facilitated by Mihaela Drăgan in Bucharest; In this workshop, Mihaela Drăgan discussed her art practice as a Roma futurist theatre maker and the principles and ethics that can make theatre a safer place for everyone, beyond their ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. The workshop encompassed discussions about contemporary Roma theatre, responsibility in art, cultural appropriation, the representation and self-representation of minorities in contemporary theatre and other recurrent themes in the sphere of political theatre.
- ‘Meeting the Mask of the Commedia dell ‘Arte‘ facilitated by Claudio De Maglio in Rome; The workshop focused on the fundamental basis for activating the expressive code of the mask and bringing to life the characters of the Commedia dell ‘Arte, a noble tradition invented by Italian actors in the 16th century and spread all throughout Europe as far as Russia. We experienced how each character represents a human typology and a precise social category that is still very present and recognizable in contemporary society.
- ‘Minorities (self)representation in Theater’ facilitated by Márton Illés, Rodrigó Balog (Independent Theater Hungary), Noémi Herczog (Theater Magazine) and the Asian-American Performers Action Coalition (USA) The workshop focused on the importance, tools and aspects of minority (self) representation in theater in order to support the work of artists, academics and critics of diverse backgrounds to promote inclusion by their work.
In the following document, we share the various methodologies used during the workshops as open source, so they can be freely used by artists, social workers, academics, educators, and all those who wish to work with and through artistic expression, performance, and theater.
Complete material: 2023_Roma_International_Festivals_Workshop_report
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or of the granting authority Creative Europe (EACEA) . Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Roma heroes educational methodology
Independent Theater Hungary developed a Roma Heroes educational methodology, the extended version of which is to be found below. This is the first educational methodology that discusses Roma drama literature, theatre, artists and heroes in an international context.
goals:
- drawing attention to the values of Roma drama literature
- giving insight to the life of Roma communities around Europe
- getting to know the stories of the plays’ main characters, their decisions, difficulties and activities
The workshop helps the participants to get to know better each other and the diverse Roma communities. They improve their communication and debate culture, become more open to various opinions and become more cooperative.
The workshop consists of two sessions and is structured as follows:
During the first session, the students analyze and discuss four plays and four heroes. At the beginning, we discuss in general what makes a hero and after we get to know the protagonists of the four plays. We analyze the most important narratives together: difficulties, activity, decision making, action and result.
During the second session, the focus is on the personal heroes and hero stories of the participants. We formulate creative messages together. We try to find the hero in ourselves and work with the heroes of the participants with the help of various creative methods (e.g.: theatre scene, visual art, writing).
You can download our detailed presentation here.
Further information: info@independenttheater.hu
ROMA HEROES ON THE STREETS OF EUROPEAN CITIES
Let’s go out! Let’s take roma heroes to the streets!
The collection of Roma Heroes on the Streets of European Cities – an essay anthology on artistic, non-formal and educational practices, the case study of Independent Theater Hungary: “We are ’56!” – Historical Memory on the Streets and the case studies by our partner organisations Giuvlipen, AAIÚN Producciones and Rampa Prenestina.
The project was funded by Erasmus+
Four Roma theatres in the arts and education sector have taken theatre to the streets of Budapest, Rome, Bucharest and Seville. We collected stories that highlighted the important role of Roma communities in the past and present of our cities. Based on these stories, we wrote plays and produced performances, which were presented in the open air and implemented related workshops. This was done with the participation of contemporary Roma artists and trainers, who were not only facilitators but also designers of the artistic and educational initiatives.
The Roma Heroes on the Streets of European Cities (RoHeSEC) methodological collection is available in English by clicking on the subtitle. Hungarian version available here.
The case study “We are ’56!” – Historical memory on the streets is available HERE in English and HERE in Hungarian.
In the case study, you can read about our performance linked to the collection of artistic, non-formal and educational practices entitled Roma Heroes in the Streets of European Cities, it explores a day of the 1956 Revolution in an interactive, street theatre setting.
Our partners:
Rampa Prenestina (Italy): Genesis of a Theater Company
case study in Englishcase study in Italian
Giuvlipen (Romania):Safari Fetiscase study in English
case study in Romanian
AAIÚN Producciones (Spain):The Time of Falah-Mankub
case studyin English
case study in Spanish
The Foundation Bricks document underpinning the Roma Heroes on the Streets essay collection and the related projects implemented is available here in
English
Spanish
Romanian
Italian
Further information: info@independenttheater.hu
(ROMA) HEROES IN THEATER, EDUCATION AND EVERYDAY LIFE
During the project, together with the three partners we further develop the Roma Heroes educational material and methodology that was created by the Independent Theater Hungary in 2017. Resting on the results, we set up an educational methodology that can be used on a European level.
PARTNERS
- Rampa Presentina (Italy)
- The Roma Actors Association – Giuvlipen (Romania)
- A.C. para La I+D Independiente Del Teatro Profesional En Andalucía (Spain)
We created a methodology and realize workshops by which we will work with young people focusing on the values of Roma theatre, dramatic heroes, the heroes living around them and their own heroic acts. With the help of our initiative we will empower them, develop their intergroup attitudes and relations, creative, cooperative skills, self-expression, and critical thinking.
In this material we present the historical and social contexts of the partner countries, where the project is realized parallelly and we describe the target groups we will work with. Afterwards, we will highlight why art in general, especially theatre, storytelling and different gamification methods can develop intergroup relations and empower the vulnerable young people. We will reflect on the existing methods and cases of art and education initiatives realized by the project promoters and other organizations in their countries, which will add important aspects to our present work. We will show the main tools and results of the Roma Heroes pilot workshops realized in Hungary since 2017. Afterwards, we describe shortly the Roma theatres in different European countries and the monodramas put into the focus by the workshops. Before closing, we will focus on some practical issues and dilemma, which will be relevant regarding the further steps of our work.
FULL MATERIAL: FOUNDATION_BRICKS_EN
Fundation bricks Italian: Foundation_Bricks_IT
Fundation bricks Romanian: Foundation_Bricks_RO
Fundation bricks Spanish: Foundation_Bricks_SP
Roma Heroes in action case study Hungary: Hungary_Case_Study_EN
Roma Heroes developint storytelling skills, Spain
Roma Heroes bringing change, Italy:
Roma Heroes in action case study, Romania:
THEATER IN THE TIME OF CORONA
NEW PUBLICATION – SEE THE FULL MATERIAL AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE
IN THE PAST MONTHS THEATERS AROUND THE WORLD FACE NUMEROUS CHALLENGES BECAUSE OF LOCKDOWN. WE REACTED TO THESE CHALLENGES WITH THEATER VIDEOS CREATED DIRECTLY FOR ONLINE SURFACES, WITH OUTDOOR HIKING THEATER PERFORMANCES, AND ALSO WITH THE VIDEO RECORDING AND ONLINE DISSEMINATION OF TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCES. WE SUMMARIZED OUR CASES AND METHODS IN THE PUBLICATION ‘THEATER IN THE TIME OF CORONA’. WE TRUST THAT OUR METHODS, EXPERIENCES AND SUGGESTIONS CAN INSPIRE THE WORK OF OTHER THEATERS, TOO.
HOW TO DO ONLINE THEATER BY ISOLATED ACTORS?
When the lockdown started in March 2020 around Europe, just as many other businesses and services, theaters also had to put on hold their performances. In such a challenging period of time it seemed that theater lovers needed to remain without the strong emotional and intellectual support of the theater. Theater artists had to live without their work, which is a passion from one hand and also the source of their financial income on the other hand.
When the lockdown started in Hungary the Independent Theater Hungary planned a reading theater performance for the World Theater Day (on the 27th March 2020) on the play ‘Kosovo, mon Amour’ written by Ruzdija Sejdovic and Jovan Nikolic. How does hatred influence society? How can we stand up for our identity and values? The play deals with these topics. The Independent Theatre Hungary has paid tribute to the International Theatre Day for many years and the stage reading of Kosovo Mon Amour would have been introduced on this occasion, too. However, adjusting to the current situation, it is introduced in a new form: in a video series recorded by a smart phone.
SECOND ADVENTURE – WORK ONLINE ON INTERNATIONAL LEVEL IS EUROPEAN FAMILY
International theater productions are usually very expensive. Above the basic costs related to the creation of a performance you also need to cover the expenses of travel, accommodation, per diem – too. For example the Gorki Theater in Berlin created a performance with international cooperation of Roma artists – The Roma Army – and from the budget of this performance – more Roma theaters could work for years and reach thousands of people in their communities. In our experimental case – which we would not like to compare with the above mentioned grandiose mainstream theater production – we wanted to do cooperation without traveling to each other.
European Family – Members of a Roma family live in different points when the lock-down comes. They can only communicate on video chat, and have to face losses, challenges in their isolated lives and also hidden conflicts and secrets among each other. It finally seems that only magic can help. All the four episodes of the online theater series are streamed together this time. The story is based on real stories Roma people faced during the time of the lockdown in diverse countries of Europe and the personal stories and improvisations of the artists, who created this piece together from their home countries connected only by internet and common passion for theater
GOAL
The goal of the project is to create an online theater play recorded internationally via the actors. By that during the global pandemic we can still manage to execute the production for an independent theater play without the need of being together at the same location.
OUTDOOR WALKING THEATER
As the theaters were closed down, but outdoor activities were allowed to be realized in late spring and early summer 2020 in Hungary, we were the first theater in our country who were able to do an offline performance – actually a hiking theater one.
Lápos can be any village in Hungary today: with inhabitants who struggle for their daily living, better or worse but they are lovable residents. Misery-tourists visit the village day every year and the participants of the gastro-theatre performance meet real human tragedies in the pokey but inventive village. How much chance does a Gypsy woman have if she raises her child on her own without any opportunity to work? Where is the boundary between humanity and inhumanity? Similar questions arise when the tourists are walking on the lush side of Gellért Hill, Budapest during the performance and they can taste the special delicacies of the village during the premiere, too.
We would suggest the form of walking theater to initiatives, which want to move outfrom traditional theater venues, mobilize their audience and also work during some restrictions related Covid-19.
Full material: Theater_in_Time_of_Corona
The creation of this material has been supported by the European Cultural Foundation, the ERIAC and the Badur Foundation.