The results are in for the open call jointly organized by Independent Theatre Hungary and Trafó House of Contemporary Arts: three new performing arts projects will receive support to explore the relationship between Roma self-representation and humor through the tools of stand-up comedy.
The aim of the Stand Up Roma 2025 program is to provide space for storytelling from a Roma perspective, and to offer both Roma and non-Roma creators the opportunity to reflect on social processes in their own voices. The program has inspired project proposals that address Roma self-representation from multiple angles—primarily through humor, satire, and (self-)irony.
The winning projects and their working titles:
- Csaba Gerner and Edina Tallér – Rosszarc (Bad Face)
This monodrama centers on a protagonist who doesn’t fit into any social “box”: due to his skin color, he faces ethnic prejudice; his shaved head draws political labels; and his body type provokes distance. The piece explores how the small but recurring acts of microdiscrimination—being followed in stores, subjected to “routine checks,” encountering biased medical care, and being rejected in job interviews—shape a person’s life.
- Rudolf Forgács – Roma: 600 Years in Hungary
Combining stand-up comedy with other artistic tools, this performance seeks to answer why Roma people have not been able to integrate into Hungarian society since their arrival in the Carpathian Basin. It examines how, in the 21st century, ethnic discrimination still determines the lives of Roma people, and raises the question: who bears responsibility for this—the state, the individual, or society as a whole?
- Kristóf Horváth – Cigyar Solitude
This performance examines the social and personal mechanics of shame through the lens of stand-up comedy. Built from stand-up segments, anecdotes, and improvised scenes, the show is both entertaining and deeply confrontational. Using humor and irony, it highlights familiar situations that reveal the uncertainty and fear behind social prejudices. Think of it as a “Roma ABC” — a relatable dictionary for coexistence, where the Roma perspective isn’t the goal but rather the tool for a shared journey of self-discovery.
Development of the supported productions will begin in the autumn of 2025, with premieres expected in the second half of January 2026 at Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.
The Stand Up Roma initiative aims to bring new voices and perspectives to the Hungarian performing arts scene and to strengthen Roma creators’ self-representation—through humor, courage, and contemporary artistic language.
Development of the supported productions will begin in the autumn of 2025, with premieres expected in the second half of January 2026 at Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.
Distribution and further performances will be carried out by Independent Theatre Hungary within the framework of the Stand Up Roma initiative, also co-financed by the European Union’s Creative Europe program.
