This cultural event aims to raise awareness about the values of Roma drama and storytelling, as well as the situation of Roma communities. During the festival we present eight European contemporary performances that focus on the stories of value-driven people and their not everyday challenges.

The theme of this year’s Festival is personal storytelling. The performances of the four-day festival are about Roma heroes who were able to initiate changes in their lives and in their communities. These are works that allow us to take the actions and sense of responsibility of the dramatic heroes home with us, lingering in our thoughts long after the performance.

“Roma theater creators and storytellers deserve more attention than they receive.span The fact that there are so many valuable artists living in Europe is best evidenced by the fact that this year we received much more applications than we were able to invite. We also need to show many more storytelling performances and chamber theater plays to the world in the future – this is important for cultural decision-makers across Europe to take note of. This Festival proves that members of Roma communities have long been able to shape their lives.”

Rodrigó Balogh - Artistic director

Monodramas

Alex Fifea (Románia)

"You Didn’t See Anything!"

Artists

Writer and performer: Alex Fifea
Music: Catalin Rulea
Director: David Schwartz

Short description

„On the 4th of March, 2014, Daniel Dumitrache, 26 years old, died inside a Police Station in Bucharest. Daniel was an illegal parking man in the Old Center. When he saw the police patrol car he ran away. This is what caught police-men’s attention. They stopped him and took him to the police station for no particular reason at all.”

Between 2014 and 2015, Alex Fifea conducted research about the circumstances of the murder of Daniel Dumitrache’s. The play analyzes and reconstructs the social processes underlying the murder. Testimonies from police officers, insights from family members, and media reports all come to life in the performance.

Natliya Tsekova (Bulgária)

"Gypsy Wheels"

Artists

Performer: Natliya Tsekova
Music: Martin Lubenov
Writers: Zdrava Kamenova, Kalin Angelov
Director: Kalin Angelov
Costume: Irina Vasileva

English translation by Ina Petkova
Hungarian translation by Andrea Iván

Short description

„I only need to forget. I shall forget, I promise you, for you, for me, I will go for a surgery that will erase all the scars and all the scratches of my childhood. I will drain my blood to the last drop so that I will not hear its pulsing story and I will transfuse myself with fresh blood. I will wipe out from my memory all that was there for years.”

Sonia Carmona Tapia (Spanyolország)

"With Profound Dignity"

Artists

Performer: Sonia Carmona Tapia
Writer: Jaime Vicent Bohorez

Short description

„On 25th January 1939, I died, according to my medical chart, of some infection. My remains were buried in a common grave in Almeria. I chose well. The militia of the second Spanish Republic locked me up and let me die with my unborn child.”

In her play Sonia Carmona Tapia commemorates two Spanish Roma women. One of them is Emilia Fernández Rodríguez, the first Roma woman who was beatified, in 2017. The other one is Gabriela Ortega Gómez, the first Roma performing artist with a university degree. The two stories of two heroines unfold parallelly. They both stood up for their own values and beliefs opposing the authorities of the time: one of them fought communism and the other one the Franco-regime.

Sebastiano Spinella (Olaszország)

"Children of the Wind"

Artists

Writer and performer: Sebastiano Spinella

Short description

„I offered to shake hands but the boy stood up and was a head taller than me and looked scary! “I don’t shake hands with Italian pieces of shit!” My answer: “I’m Sicilian, not Italian!” This made some effect on him as I later understood that Romas like Sicily, Napoli and generally tend to have better relations with people from the south of Italy.”

Circus artist, performer and educational expert Sebastiano Spinella talks about his own life. For him, his own identity is still uncertain, as his grandmother’s presumed Roma origin was meant to be hidden by his family members. The protagonist stood out as a black sheep at the age of 17, touring Europe as a wandering musician, a circus artist. He then returned to Italy to work with Roma children without citizenship.

Farkas Franciska (Magyarország)

"Letter to Brad Pitt"

Artists

Performer: Farkas Franciska
Writer, artistic lead: Horváth Kristóf
Director: Császi Ádám

English translation by Erzsébet Báder

Short description

“As a Gypsy, how did you come across world literature?” "Nicely tanned and temperamentally."
“As a Gypsy, how’s your everyday life?” "I stink and I steal."
“What do other Gypsies think about you?” "I don’t quite know. Should I ask them?"

In the performance, Franciska Farkas confesses with relentless honesty about the challenges of her childhood and youth. Despite all the possible dead ends, hopelessness, and social gaps, her life reached the point where she became an example to others. She became an actress who can tell the world a lot about darkness, perseverance, and never giving up.

Richard R.O'Neill (Nagy-Britannia)

"Today’s Lesson"

Artists

Writer, performer: Richard R. O’Neill

Short description

„Robert carried on teaching, not only the curriculum, but things from his culture too: manners, team work, different ways of looking at and solving problems. He gave particular support to the children and parents who needed it the most. As Robert lived out of the town he wasn’t aware of something that was bubbling away under the surface that would affect his job and his faith in education.”

A story about a young, popular among children, hard-working and conscientious Traveller teacher who raises his voice in a discriminatory situation. What should a Traveller teacher do if he wants to be silenced by the seemingly tolerant school management?

Michael Collins (Írország)

"It’s a cultural thing. Or is it?"

Artists

Writer: Michael Collins
Performer: Michael Collins and Catharine Collins

The story

„I remember my mommy put two dresses on me and Johnny and tied us to the wattles of the tent, she was afraid that we would get hurt there was no one else on the road to mind us. A guard came on one day and said good evening to ya missus Collins. She explained to the guard that she had to get sticks and water and there was no one on the road to mind us. The guard took off his hat, scratched his head and said untie the children Mrs. Collins and went off on his big black bike. He came back with a big bundle of sticks and went off again and came back with a big churn can of water. I never knew his name but he was a nice policeman.”

Irish Traveller creator Michael Collins is talking to his own daughter who doesn’t want to study further. In order to convince her, he revives his childhood and leads her with a number of hard, sometimes amusing stories that learning is indeed important.

Boda-Novy Emília (Magyarország)

"Chameleon Girl"

Artists

Performer: Boda-Novy Emília

Writer: Illés Márton

Music: Endrődy Szabolcs and Vincent Ribault

Visual: Vincze Alina

Assistant: Mátravölgyi Dorottya

Director: Szegedi Tamás András

The story

„The only way to understand our loved ones is if we look beyond what they say. If we really breathe together, if we blend into them like a chameleon.”

A seemingly average teenage girl is asked by a helper, who wants to understand why she did what she did, why she wants to decide the way she does. The girl brings to life memories and experiences, not all of which are her own. We can follow the challenges of her grandparents, sisters, teachers, preschoolers and classmates through her special power: she can resemble anything and anyone, look into the thoughts and memories of others and not want to follow the example of others. She wants to live her own life.

The superhero story is based on the stories of Roma youth participating in the “Roma Heroes” workshops of the Independent Theater.