Kriszta Doczy | Black Symphony 1970 @krisztadoczy3871 | Uploaded July 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
A physical theatre version of Jean Genet’s play The Blacks was performed in a cellar-theatre in Budapest by the alternative theatre company, Domino in 1970. Led by Miklos Kollo, the company was regularly banned by the Communist regime. The Blacks was closed down after only a few
performances after tickets were sold for triple price on the black market.
The film Black Symphony is a (film) adaptation of this (theatre) adaptation. A double mirror which reflects both the contemporary French and Hungarian theatre and our deeply hidden desire for freedom. Though Black Symphony is a double interpretation and a twofold transformation of a provoking play it still remains just as provoking as the play itself.
This unique experimental film by Andras Peterffy is a rare example of avant-garde, underground film culture in the 1960-70 in Eastern Europe. It also contains invaluable archival footage of a ritualistic physical performance style which later became known through Grotowski’s work. Towards the end of the 50 years of Communism Hungary was considered as "the happiest barack of the socialist hemisphere". The film industry in Hungary was a "socialist establishment” with strict criteria for funding and heavy censorship. Outside the mainstream film studio an alternative film culture emerged. The”playground” for young people was the film club movement which soon became a prestigious, independent, creative circle with an audience of its own. The Balazs Bela Studio became internationally known as the creative hub of independent film makers. The theatre of Eötvös Loránd University functioned as the centre of progressive creative art of all kinds.
Script and choreography : Miklós Kollõ
Director-producer: András Péterffy and László György
Performed by: Miklos Kollo, Eva Káli, Ajtony Ponori-Thewrewk,
Kriszta Doczy, Sándor Szabó, Galina Vida, János Paszabi,
Vali Sági, Péter Rajka, Edit Szeles. Vocal: Rita Szalóki
Production assistants: Miklos Petrucz, Jenő Kucsera, András Káli
The Domino Movement Theatre was one of the well known progressive alternative experimental theatres in Europe in the 1970-80s. Based in
Budapest and directed by a young charismatic choreographer, Miklos Kollo, the company attracted many artists from all fields of art. Regular contributors to the performances were jazz musicians, visual artists, singers, photographers and filmmakers. The company later became an export commodity for the communist centralized art management companies. The non-verbal performances were sellable in Europe festival circuits; the otherwise difficult Hungarian language did not pose any barrier. The controversy was, of course, that the theatre was bannedd by the police and
the communist party on a number of occasions, while it performed in front of thousands of people in Spain or Germany. In 1970 Miklos Kollo and the Domino were at the beginning of their journey: putting in many months of physical labor, they restored a basement in downtown Budapest. They devised and produced an adaptation of Jean Gene’s play titled “Blacks”. It
was a rather free adaptation of the original play, based on movement, metaphorical and ritualistic non-verbal storytelling, the cocktail everybody was interested in at that time. A popular tactic of getting around the severe censorship was to use metaphors and symbolical actions, music and a dramaturgy which invited the audience to find their own explanation to risky
propositions. Using surrealism in images, text, movement and visuals allowed a direct, uncontrollable connection between the performers and the audiences. Ceramic tickets were specially fired for the theatre, and came to
be known as C33- referring to the number of spectators (33) the
small basement performance space could host. The Blacks could only have a couple of performances: the communist Ministry of Culture banned the event in a hurry. The reason was always given as “fire hazard” referring to safety regulations never specified. The style and technique of the performance was most progressive in 1970. Experimental avant-garde theatre at that time was inspired by Artaud, The Living Theatre from the USA,
and others from the surrealist and Dada movements. Contemporaries at this time were Grotowsky’s Laboratory in Wrozlaw, Lecoq and, Tomaszewski Dance Company just to mention a few.
In the next decade Miklos Kollo and Domino produced a number of performances. The technique and style became more sophisticated and complex, with professional performers and artist co-creators working full time, creating performances while fostering young talent in Budapest.
In the 80s Domino became an iconic cultural phenomenon, but like most of the artists and alternative underground groups which were rebelling against the regime, it did not survive the lack of funding and stress caused by the constant prohibitions and harassment by the communist government.
A physical theatre version of Jean Genet’s play The Blacks was performed in a cellar-theatre in Budapest by the alternative theatre company, Domino in 1970. Led by Miklos Kollo, the company was regularly banned by the Communist regime. The Blacks was closed down after only a few
performances after tickets were sold for triple price on the black market.
The film Black Symphony is a (film) adaptation of this (theatre) adaptation. A double mirror which reflects both the contemporary French and Hungarian theatre and our deeply hidden desire for freedom. Though Black Symphony is a double interpretation and a twofold transformation of a provoking play it still remains just as provoking as the play itself.
This unique experimental film by Andras Peterffy is a rare example of avant-garde, underground film culture in the 1960-70 in Eastern Europe. It also contains invaluable archival footage of a ritualistic physical performance style which later became known through Grotowski’s work. Towards the end of the 50 years of Communism Hungary was considered as "the happiest barack of the socialist hemisphere". The film industry in Hungary was a "socialist establishment” with strict criteria for funding and heavy censorship. Outside the mainstream film studio an alternative film culture emerged. The”playground” for young people was the film club movement which soon became a prestigious, independent, creative circle with an audience of its own. The Balazs Bela Studio became internationally known as the creative hub of independent film makers. The theatre of Eötvös Loránd University functioned as the centre of progressive creative art of all kinds.
Script and choreography : Miklós Kollõ
Director-producer: András Péterffy and László György
Performed by: Miklos Kollo, Eva Káli, Ajtony Ponori-Thewrewk,
Kriszta Doczy, Sándor Szabó, Galina Vida, János Paszabi,
Vali Sági, Péter Rajka, Edit Szeles. Vocal: Rita Szalóki
Production assistants: Miklos Petrucz, Jenő Kucsera, András Káli
The Domino Movement Theatre was one of the well known progressive alternative experimental theatres in Europe in the 1970-80s. Based in
Budapest and directed by a young charismatic choreographer, Miklos Kollo, the company attracted many artists from all fields of art. Regular contributors to the performances were jazz musicians, visual artists, singers, photographers and filmmakers. The company later became an export commodity for the communist centralized art management companies. The non-verbal performances were sellable in Europe festival circuits; the otherwise difficult Hungarian language did not pose any barrier. The controversy was, of course, that the theatre was bannedd by the police and
the communist party on a number of occasions, while it performed in front of thousands of people in Spain or Germany. In 1970 Miklos Kollo and the Domino were at the beginning of their journey: putting in many months of physical labor, they restored a basement in downtown Budapest. They devised and produced an adaptation of Jean Gene’s play titled “Blacks”. It
was a rather free adaptation of the original play, based on movement, metaphorical and ritualistic non-verbal storytelling, the cocktail everybody was interested in at that time. A popular tactic of getting around the severe censorship was to use metaphors and symbolical actions, music and a dramaturgy which invited the audience to find their own explanation to risky
propositions. Using surrealism in images, text, movement and visuals allowed a direct, uncontrollable connection between the performers and the audiences. Ceramic tickets were specially fired for the theatre, and came to
be known as C33- referring to the number of spectators (33) the
small basement performance space could host. The Blacks could only have a couple of performances: the communist Ministry of Culture banned the event in a hurry. The reason was always given as “fire hazard” referring to safety regulations never specified. The style and technique of the performance was most progressive in 1970. Experimental avant-garde theatre at that time was inspired by Artaud, The Living Theatre from the USA,
and others from the surrealist and Dada movements. Contemporaries at this time were Grotowsky’s Laboratory in Wrozlaw, Lecoq and, Tomaszewski Dance Company just to mention a few.
In the next decade Miklos Kollo and Domino produced a number of performances. The technique and style became more sophisticated and complex, with professional performers and artist co-creators working full time, creating performances while fostering young talent in Budapest.
In the 80s Domino became an iconic cultural phenomenon, but like most of the artists and alternative underground groups which were rebelling against the regime, it did not survive the lack of funding and stress caused by the constant prohibitions and harassment by the communist government.
