What do mothers mean to us? What do we learn from them and what is our favourite memory with our mother? They are the strongest, most persistent people who never give up, who we can always count on. The next story presents a mother, a hero who lives for her children. When I was a child, we rarely got any sweets. However, when mom went to the shop, we always looked forward to her return with great expectations. What will she bring us today? Lollypop? Melon-flavoured chewing gum? Or jellybeans? I remember, one day she drew a deep breath as she left to the shop. All we had was 500 HUF and she wanted to buy bread. I didn’t know how much 500 HUF was worth back in those days, but it must have been similar as it is today: not very much. When mom got home, she put down the bread on the table. She took out two lollipops from her pocket and gave them to us smilingly, then went to the kitchen to cook some potatoes. I remember, I was 6 years old when I first got a cake. It was a chocolate cake. We...

  What’s your biggest dream, and what would you do to achieve it? Life often doesn’t turn out how we planned. What do you do then? Do you face the difficulties, or do you give up? The story of my hero gets a special place in my heart because it has one main character but two heroes. Where shall I start? Yes, I would like to tell you about my sister. A true perfectionist. She’d had this personality trait already back then when she started university but beginning her studies didn’t go smoothly. Her first thing to do was to apply for a dorm room, because getting to school would have been a true struggle every single day by train, bus and the local bus service. This would have meant six hours of commuting each day. She obviously tried her best to get a place in the dormitory. The story would end here if reality would be like a fairy tale. But we all know that it is not always like that. So, she kept on trying without success for months, she didn’t get a room, meanwhile she would w...

  The pandemic has been in our lives for two years. The whole world is struggling with it, many people have lost their loved ones, their jobs, their financial and spiritual safety. What can you do when the situation seems hopeless and there is nothing to hold onto? The answer is simple, it’s hard to act. But we cannot give up, we must move forward! Our goal is to bring hope with this story to those who lost their relatives. Theatre means a lot to me, I love being on stage, rehearsing, stepping on stage with my colleagues. It’s truly an exceptional way to earn my living doing what I adore. Everything was going well, my life was great, then suddenly problems started to arise. The virus appeared. There was less and less work, the money to live on became uncertain and a crisis in my partner relationship reared its head. Long months have passed, there was nothing to do, I had to take actions. I tried my luck in the Netherlands, I took a job in a factory.  Life started to become nor...

Does the origin determine future opportunities? What can be done for self-fulfillment? Martha Balážová wanted to be a singer from an early age. Through dedication and perseverance, she was able to achieve her dream. She sincerely talks about how many opportunities have opened up for her in a segregated Moravian territory thanks to her parents conscious decision. She also talks about what she considers important in today’s theatrical life.

Frantisek Balog is the only Roma actor in Slovakia so he has a great responsibility to represent Roma culture. The actor of the Košice State Theater talks about his acting career, his aims, his years in an orphanage and a Roma conservatory. We can find out why he couldn’t fully integrate into the Roma conservatory’s community. He mentions the start of his interest in Roma culture. It also becomes clear why the promotion of Roma theater is so important to him.

  What does trust mean to you? Who do you trust the most and why? Why do we need trust in everyday life at all? What makes someone seem trustworthy? Let’s think about this! I live in Transylvania, Romania. There are quite a few conflicts between different nationalities here. Injustice and prejudice is part of our everyday life and people are likely to look sideways at each other, mostly without any ground. It is difficult to overcome or set aside the entrenched feuds. People here are very colourful and diverse and they sometimes help, other times hinder each other. It did not come as a surprise that I was addressed in Romanian upon leaving the university building. I was only surprised that it was a young boy’s voice, he could not be older than six. He was alone, he wanted to contact his father as they lost each other. He asked for my help to call him on my phone. I readily gave the phone to him and he took a few steps back to dial. My friend, who was standing next to me, was sh...

  What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “hero”? Superheroes with superpowers and cool capes, busy saving New York? I like superhero movies a lot, too, but this story will be different. My hero is a bit closer to home, she comes from a small town, many might not even think she is a hero but she is definitely a hero for me. As a child, when people asked me who I looked up to, who I took as a role model, I immediately listed people in my close surrounding, parents, grandparents or my siblings. A few years went by and when I was asked today: “Who is your hero and why?” she came to my mind immediately, and her story, which explains why I consider her a hero. Judit has been one of my best friends for long years. We got to know each other in high school but we were not very close at first. It is our homeroom teacher I have to thank for our friendship because she told us to sit at the same school desk. We all know how pranks can bring young people toget...

How are theatre and art activism connected? Why is it important that the Roma and the non-Roma create art together? What is the work together like and why is it special? David Tišer, the director of the Czech ARA ART Company talks about the establishment of the company, the cooperation between the Roma and the non-Roma, its potentials and how he accepted his own identity.

Whose responsibility is to do against poverty? Who do we expect to settle this problem? Does poverty go hand in hand with social discrimination? Sandra Selimović, the founder of the Romano Svato Company in Vienna opened up frankly about her childhood, poverty, social exclusion and her dreams. What led her to achieve her goal. ’I decided to speak about my own community and how we see the world, therefore we founded our Roma theatre company.’

What is real perseverance? Have you ever thought about how much your parents do for you day after day? They make decisions and trust that they serve the best interest of the family. Have you ever been in a situation when you had to make an important decision, one that had an impact on other’s life as well? Daddy, I wanna share what’s on my mind Do you remember when I was four-year-old? You and mummy were getting divorced And you got a chance to change your life. Lot more money, respectable work But staying in our town was not among the perks. You asked me how that’d feel? Did I have any doubt? I answered that I didn’t care much for wealth I’d give up easily on holidays or presents Just stay with us! That is all I care about. For your perseverance I must thank you And I wish for all your hopes to come true The blog entry was written by Ákos Fülöp, a participant of Independent Theatre Hungary’s Roma Heroes workshop.  

What is life in a children's home like? Who takes care of the children? What rules shall they obey and how can they bend them? This play, based on the life of František Balog, founder of Actor Theatre in Košice, presents scenes from the morning routine of the children's home where he grew up. Moreover, he tells us about his love life in the foster home and how a piano can hinder this love. The play is hilarious and at the same time conveys an serious message on how important it is to have motivation in life, devote time to ourselves and find our peace. The play was supported by Visegrád Fund and the Slovak Institute. The performance was hosted by RS9 Theatre in Budapest.                

What does education mean for you? What would you sacrifice for studying? What can a young student do if her family does not support her in continuing her studies? How can she fight prejudices in the school every day? What is our responsibility for the youngsters and in providing equal opportunities for everyone in starting their lives and being able to study? The play provides insight to a really brave girl's life who has to stand up to her family's will.  The play of Giuvlipen Company from Bucharest is based on a real story; it presents the struggle of the girl, that results in suicide, from various perspectives, raising the validity of different approaches and at the same time pointing out collective responsibility that no one can escape.

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when thinking of health care? What are our experiences or stereotypes on the Roma, the addict or the extremist youngsters who might be our neighbors in a ward? Health care system have a lot of weak points and we all have at least one horror story about a quirky nurse, a grumpy doctor, a dirty ward or an insupportable patient. But have a look at this question from another angle, let's see what we can do for a change! The young actors of Independent Theater Hungary's play show different viewpoints on health care as well as living together with others, drawing attention to the importance of taking action.

All the streets are empty after midnight. A car stops next to the sidewalk. At the same time, a nicely dressed young woman stops not too far away from the car. She leans against a pylon. She is leaning forward and it is difficult to decide if she is about to throw up because she has consumed too much alcohol or any other substance or she is simply crying. She doesn't feel very well, that's sure. 'Can I help?' 'No, you can't.' She is talking slowly and haltingly. 'Why are you on the street at this hour? All alone? This is not okay. Why aren't you home?' 'My husband threw me out. He kicked me out. I can't go home until morning. I'm just worried about my child. My daughter. Because my son has died. But I'll go home in the morning. If only my child were well. But she is not alone. She is sleeping next to his father. It's just me who is not with her. But he doesn't have the right to take her away from me. I...