fbpx Roma Theatre Retrospective 2021 | HowlRound Theatre Commons

Livestreamed on this page Tuesday 19 October to Friday 10 December 2021.

Worldwide
Tuesday 19 October to Friday 10 December 2021

Roma Theatre Retrospective 2021

Celebrating Four Years of Contemporary, International Romani Theatre

Tuesday 19 October to Friday 10 December 2021

Independent Theater Hungary, in partnership with HowlRound Theatre Commons, presented the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2021. An entirely virtual endeavor, this project featured forty livestreamed events—twenty performances and interviews, each streamed twice—from seventy Romani artists in ten countries. These livestreams enact a climate and public health-conscious approach to theatremaking and viewing. An entirely virtual endeavor, the Retrospective anticipated carbon emissions similar to flying just six artists round-trip from New York to Budapest. Simultaneously, it invited international connection and access to this unique and robust performance community.

These performances were all initially featured during four editions of the Roma Heroes International Theater Festival in Budapest, which the Independent Theater Hungary has organized annually since 2017. The Roma Heroes International Theater Festival is the only international Roma theatre encounter in the world. It aims to showcase the diversity and value of Roma theatre and to draw attention to Roma communities by focusing on the challenges of their everyday heroes.

Although Romani or Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe, they still experience high levels of racism and social barriers. Additionally, Roma regularly face stereotypical representation in media and culture. Stigmas like these contribute to Roma theatre being relatively unknown despite more than a century of performance history within professional theatre groups in many countries. Join us in changing that narrative, and introduce yourself to the work of Roma artists from across Europe during the 2021 Retrospective.

The 2021 Roma Theatre Retrospective is supported in part by a grant from the Trust for Mutual Understanding.

Don't miss the Retrospective double feature period: each performance will stream one more time between 29 November and 10 December!

Double Feature Schedule

Monday, November 29

I Declare at My Own Risk (Romania, United Kingdom), preceded by an interview with Alina Serban
READ MORE

Roma from the Duvet or Enter the Majority! / Róm z perinky alebo Enter the Majority! (Slovak Republic), preceded by an interview with František Balog
READ MORE

Tuesday, November 30

Perkucigo / Perkucigó (Romania), preceded by an interview with Zsolt Fekete-Lovas
READ MORE

Tell Them About Me / Del Duma (Romania), preceded by an interview with Mihaela Drăgan
READ MORE

Wednesday, December 1

Gypsy Wheels / Tsiganski kolela (Bulgaria), preceded by an interview with Nataliya Tsekova
READ MORE

Chameleon Girl / Kaméleonlány (Hungary), preceded by an interview with Tamás Szegedi and Márton Illés
READ MORE

Thursday, December 2

Village Day / Falunap (Hungary), preceded by an interview with Rodrigó Balogh and Márton Illés
READ MORE

Bambina, The Queen of Flowers/ Bambina, regina florilor (Romania), preceded by an interview with Alex Fifea
READ MORE

Friday, December 3

Heroes (Austria), preceded by an interview with Sandra Selimović and Simonida Selimović
READ MORE

I Can See You / Ich Sehe Dich (Germany), preceded by an interview with Nebojša Marković and Rebecca Surber
READ MORE

Monday, December 6

Forever Holiday?! / Für Immer Urlaub?!/ So Kheren Amenca?! (Germany, Austria), preceded by an interview with Sandra Selimović, Simonida Selimović, and Joschla Weiss
READ MORE

Children of the Wind (Italy), preceded by an interview with Sebastiano Spinella
READ MORE

Tuesday, December 7

With Profound Dignity / De Profunda Dignitatis (Spain), preceded by an interview with Sonia Carmona Tapia and Jaime Vicent Bohórquez
READ MORE

Shoddies / Selejtesek (Hungary), preceded by an interview with Rodrigó Balogh and Márton Illés
READ MORE

Wednesday, December 8

European Family (United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Hungary), preceded by an interview with Richard O'Neill and Tamás Szegedi
READ MORE

Who Killed Szomna Grancsa?/ Cine a omorât-o pe Szomna Grancsa? (Romania), preceded by an interview with Mihaela Drăgan
READ MORE

Thursday, December 9

You Didn't See Anything! / Voi n-ați văzut nimic! (Romania), preceded by an interview with Alex Fifea and David Schwartz
READ MORE

It's a Cultural Thing. Or is it? (Ireland), preceded by an interview with Michael Collins
READ MORE

Friday, December 10

The Hardest Word / A legnehezebb szó (United Kingdom), preceded by an interview with Richard O'Neill
READ MORE

Romacen – The Age of the Witch / Romacen – Vremea vrăjitoarei (Romania), preceded by an interview with Mihaela Drăgan
READ MORE

Past Broadcast Schedule

Week 1: My Story (19-22 October)

Week 2: Roma Women (26-29 October)

Week 3: Fortress Europe (2-5 November)

Week 4: Different Perspectives (9-12 November)

Week 5: Change the System! (16-19 November)

Week 1: My Story

In this week's plays we can see everyday heroes through the authors’ personal stories. Each provides insight into the diverse Roma community, and the possibilities, challenges, joys and problems experienced by the Roma people.

I Declare at My Own Risk (Romania, United Kingdom), preceded by an interview with Alina Serban.

Tuesday 19 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Monday 29 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

woman in black t-shirt in front of a video projection of a classroom.

In this play, Alina Serban shares the details of her own life and childhood. Her story provides insight into the life of a young girl who is like her peers: she is passionate about pop musicians, loves to make friends, and has dreams for her future. At the same time, this girl grows up in unsuitable learning conditions in one of the worst neighborhoods of Bucharest, and she regularly feels ashamed of her origin. Although sometimes she cannot believe that dreams come true, she is eventually admitted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She accepts her Roma origin, which actually becomes a source of pride.

Trailer for I Declare at My Own Risk

Writer, director, performer: Alina Serban
Music: Cătălin Rulea
Set design: Adrian Cristea
Languages: English, Romani
Subtitles: English

Roma from the Duvet or Enter the Majority! / Róm z perinky alebo Enter the Majority! (Slovak Republic), preceded by an interview with František Balog.

Wednesday 20 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Monday 29 November at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

a man in an undershirt sitting up in bed holding a book.

In the center of this solo performance stands a young Roma man who presents his life story by telling humorous and bizarre episodes from his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Step by step, we learn how he becomes a part of mainstream society. In this performance, one actor plays nine characters representing nine people who made a strong impression on him or contributed to the ways that the course of his life changed.

Trailer for Roma from the Duvet

Performed by: František Balog
Director: Juraj Bielik
Dramaturg: Miriam Kičiňová
Set design: Tomáš Diro
Music: Peter Orgován
Languages: Slovak
Subtitles: English

Perkucigo / Perkucigó (Romania), preceded by an interview with Zsolt Fekete-Lovas.

Thursday 21 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Tuesday 30 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

a man in a grey tank top in front of percussion instuments.

This unique performance by Zsolt Fekete-Lovas containings elements of stand-up to represent an identity crisis. He gets into surprising situations as an ethnic Hungarian from Romania with hidden Gypsy origins. The performance is a dialogue between the creators and the audience about the destiny of the Gypsies, mainly about the discrimination in the Romanian health care system.

Trailer for Perkucigo

Writer: Csaba Székely and Zsolt Fekete-Lovas
Director: Zsolt Fekete-Lovas, Attila Bordás and Péter Dávid
Languages: Hungarian
Subtitles: English

Tell Them About Me / Del Duma (Romania), preceded by an interview with Mihaela Drăgan

Friday 22 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Tuesday 30 November at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

a women holding a folded paper on her head.

Based on her own experiences and interviews with Roma women, Mihaela Drăgan wrote the monodrama Tell Them About Me. The play presents the diversity, opportunities, challenges, joys, and trials of the Roma society in Romania, all from the perspective of womenamong whom we can discover every day heroes. The performance focuses on the compatibility of tradition and modernity and the existence of Roma and Romanian identity within one nation, one community, or even in one person. The main focus of the play is on early marriages in Romania, mostly among Roma communities.

Trailer for Tell Them About Me

Writer, performer: Mihaela Drăgan
Director: Liana Ceterchi
Languages: Romanian, Romani
Subtitles: English

Week 2: Roma Women

Week 2 features stories of women who were able to change their destiny, and possible solutions to girls experiencing similar barriers. The feature women share life stories in which the main character is an active, determined, dramatic hero.

Gypsy Wheels / Tsiganski kolela (Bulgaria), preceded by an interview with Nataliya Tsekova.

Tuesday 26 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Wednesday 1 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

Roma woman in traditional clothes on stage.

This performance presents the struggles of a young Roma woman who has left the Bulgarian ghetto, gained work in an office, and now wants to resemble the majority of the world around her. Can we forget our roots? Can we deny ourselves? The heroine talks about herself and her relationships and has a positive tone, which is reinforced by the piece’s humor.

Trailer for Gypsy Wheels

Performer: Nataliya Tsekova
Music: Martin Lubenov
Authors: Zdrava Kamenova, Kalin Angelov
Director: Kalin Angelov
Languages: Bulgarian
Subtitles: English

Chameleon Girl / Kaméleonlány (Hungary), preceded by an interview with Tamás Szegedi and Márton Illés.

Wednesday 27 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Wednesday 1 December at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

A teenage girl in front of abstract video projections.

This piece follows the challenges of grandparents, sisters, teachers, preschoolers, and classmates through the tale of a girl with a 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. This superhero story is based on the stories of Roma youth participating in the Independent Theater Hungary's Roma Heroes workshops.

Trailer for Cameleon Girl

Performer: Emília Boda-Novy
Writer: Márton Illés
Music: Szabolcs Endrődy and Vincent Ribault
Visuals: Alina Vincze
Assistant: Dorottya Mátravölgyi
Director: Tamás András Szegedi
Languages: Hungarian
Subtitles: English

Village Day / Falunap (Hungary), preceded by an interview with Rodrigó Balogh and Márton Illés.

Thursday 28 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Thursday 2 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

Six performers posing for a picture in a park.

Lápos could be any village in Hungary today. Its lovable inhabitants struggle for their daily living, for better or worse. Misery-tourists visit for village day every year, and the participants of the gastro-theatre performance meet real human tragedies in the pokey but inventive village.

Trailer for Village Day

Writer and director: Rodrigó Balogh
Dramaturg: Márton Illés
Performers: Emília Boda-Novy, Dávid Csányi, Béla Stubnya, Cristopher Pászik, Orsolya Balogh, Judit Kőszegi
Languages: Hungarian
Subtitles: English

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Bambina, The Queen of Flowers/ Bambina, regina florilor (Romania), preceded by an interview with Alex Fifea.

Friday 29 October at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 5 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:00 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:00 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).
Thursday 2 December at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

An elderly woman in front of flowers.

An exciting slice of history unfolds through these stories of Romanian florists. Beginning with the appearance of the first florists, we can see how the Roma people adapted to changes over time. Then, we get to the birth of the flower empire of Lina Georgescu, who was also known as Bambina. She was the most successful woman to reform the flower trade. She built an empire during communism, and after regime changed she coped with the challenges of the free market, too. Her main goal was to support young women like her, so she worked only worked with them. ARTHUB company created this reconstruction of Bambina’s life based on the interviews with her son.

Trailer for Bambina, The Queen of Flowers

Writer: Alex Fifea, Zita Moldovan, Andrei Serban
Text and documentation: Alex Fifea, Andrei Serban, Nona Serbanescu, Mihai Lukács, Zita Moldovan
Languages: Romanian
Subtitles: English

Week 3: Fortress Europe

What is it like living in an Austrian refugee camp and an Italian ghetto without a job, money and opportunities? Why does a Roma artist prefer invisibility and anonymity? What does a parent do when they receive letter stating that their children can no longer live in the country they consider to be their homeland? In this week's selected plays, various stories of European refugees offer a nuanced picture of present Europe.

Heroes (Austria), preceded by an interview with Sandra Selimović and Simonida Selimović.

*Tuesday 2 November at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 4 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 17:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 18:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2). *notice timezone differences this week.
Friday 3 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

Three Roma women looking at the camera.

This play from the Romano Svato Theatre Company is about three women from different cultures who are in pre-trial detention, waiting to be assessed for the right to asylum in Austria. Their first experiences of "the land of freedom" question the morality of the "know-it-all West". Although they escaped their homelands hoping for safety, the Iranian woman, Syrian woman, and Roma woman from Kosovo experience the inhuman treatment including interrogation that lasts for long hours as well as the brutality of male captors and the immigration officer. What can we do for them?

Trailer for Heroes

Writer: Sandra Selimović, Simonida Selimović, Marianne Strauhs
Director: Sandra Selimović
Performers: Simonida Selimović, Ivanana Nikolic, Mateja Maded, Jörg Waltenberger
Camera and Editing: Peter Sihorsch
Languages: German
Subtitles: English

I Can See You / Ich Sehe Dich (Germany), preceded by an interview with Nebojša Marković and Rebecca Surber.

*Wednesday 3 November at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 4 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 17:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 18:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2). *notice timezone differences this week.
Friday 3 December at 11:15 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2:15 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7:15 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:15 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:15 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

A man peaking out of a cabinet in a apartment room.

This story is about a small predator living underground in a home he made himself. His goal is to protect himself from the world's dangers. As a solution, he isolates himself from the world, and the safety of home becomes a prison of his own fears. The performance of the Rroma Aether Club Theater from Berlin is a parody of receding nations and citizenship.

Trailer for I Can See You

Contributors: Rebecca D. Surber, Nebojša Marković, Slaviša Marković
Languages: German
Subtitles: English

Forever Holiday?! / Für Immer Urlaub?!/ So Kheren Amenca?! (Germany, Austria), preceded by an interview with Sandra Selimović, Simonida Selimović, and Joschla Weiss.

*Thursday 4 November at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 4 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 17:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 18:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2). *notice timezone differences this week.
Monday 6 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

six performers on stage looking at the camera.

Forever holiday?! is the story of two young people who are deported from their homeland of Germany. What could their parents do when they receive a letter stating that their children can no longer live in the country they thought were their homeland? Everything changes. Only one question matters: what could they do to stay? But they have nothing to do to stay in the country. They are deported, and this is when their “forever holiday” begins among distant relatives whose worlds are already infinitely distant for the children who have grown up as Germans.

Trailer for Forever Holiday?!

Director: Sandra Selimović
Dramaturgy: Hanna AlTaher
Performers: Estera Iordan, Estera Stan, Ramona Rahimic, Alexandra Cobzaru, Adrian Ernst, Joschla Weiss, Roxie Thiele-Dogan, Simonida Selimović.
Languages: German
Subtitles: English

Children of the Wind (Italy), preceded by an interview with Sebastiano Spinella.

*Friday 5 November at 9 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 4 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 17:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 18:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2). *notice timezone differences this week.
Monday 6 December at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

A man with puppet.

Circus artist, performer, and educator Sebastiano Spinella talks about his own life. For him, his own identity is still uncertain, as his grandmother’s presumably Roma origin was concealed by family members. A black sheep, this protagonist left home at seventeen to tour Europe as a wandering musician and a circus artist. He then returned to Italy to work with Roma children without citizenship, in whom almost no one believed.

Trailer for Children of the Wind

Writer and performer: Sebastiano Spinella
Languages: Italian
Subtitles: English

Week 4: Different Perspectives

Which social issues do you consider most important? Fighting against dictatorships, reforming the healthcare system, or the right to education? This week, get to know heroes who are brave enough to stand up for the specific causes they deem most urgent.

With Profound Dignity / De Profunda Dignitatis (Spain), preceded by an interview with Sonia Carmona Tapia and Jaime Vicent Bohórquez.

Tuesday 9 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Tuesday 7 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

A woman holding a bouquet of red flowers.

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

Trailer for With Profound Dignity

Performer: Sonia Carmona Tapia
Writer: Jaime E. Vicent Bohórquez
Languages: Spanish
Subtitles: English

Shoddies / Selejtesek (Hungary), preceded by an interview with Rodrigó Balogh and Márton Illés.

Wednesday 10 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Tuesday 7 December at 11:15 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2:15 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7:15 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:15 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:15 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

Three performers lying in hospital beds.

How do we experience our health care system? How embarrassing is it to just wait and wait when we are ill and vulnerable? What are our experiences or stereotypes of the Roma, addicts, or extremist youngsters that who might be our neighbors in a ward. The health care system has a lot of weak points, and we all have at least one horror story. But have a look at this question from another angle: let’s see what we can do for a change! Independent Theater Hungary’s play shows different viewpoints on health care and general coexistence to draw attention to the importance of taking action.

Trailer for Shoddies

Director: Rodrigó Balogh
Dramaturg: Márton Illés
Performers: Barbara Balázs, Irén Godó, Katalin Godó, Dániel Lakatos
Assistants: Judit Kőszegi, Gyula Antal Horváth
Languages: Hungarian
Subtitles: English

European Family (United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Hungary), preceded by an interview with Richard O'Neill and Tamás Szegedi.

Thursday 11 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Wednesday 8 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

European Family's show poster.

Members of a Roma family live in different parts of Europe when the lockdown begins. They can only communicate on video chat and must face losses and challenges in their isolated lives. Conflicts and secrets are also revealed. It seems that only magic can help. These four stories are based on both real stories of Roma people enduring lockdown in different European countries and the personal stories and improvisations of the artists. This piece was created this piece from artists home countries, and the artists were connected only by the internet and their common passion for theatre.

Trailer for European Family

Starring: Sonia Carmona Tapia, Lucia Lakatos, Richard R. O’Neill, Sebastiano Spinella, Tamás Szegedi
Writer: Richard R. O’Neill
Co-writers: Sonia Carmona Tapia, Lucia Lakatos, Richard R. O’Neill, Sebastiano Spinella, Tamás Szegedi, Jaime E. Vicent Bohórquez
Director: Rodrigó Balogh, Márton Illés
Cinematographer and editor: Péter Illés
Languages: English
Subtitles: English

Who Killed Szomna Grancsa?/ Cine a omorât-o pe Szomna Grancsa? (Romania), preceded by an interview with Mihaela Drăgan.

Friday 12 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Wednesday 8 December at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

Two women on a dark stage in a spotlight.

This play by Giuvlipen Company in Bucharest tells the story of a young Roma girl who believes in the importance of education and does everything she can to keep going to school. She encounters a lot of difficulties. What can a young student do if her family does not support her? How can she fight prejudices at school every day? What is our responsibility provide equal opportunities for children to be able to study? The play provides insight to a brave girl’s life as she does everything she can for what she believes in. The play was based on a true story and guides us to a Romanian village where Gypsy and Hungarian people live together.

Trailer for Who Killed Szomna Grancsa?

Direction and Writers: Liana Ceterchi, Mihaela Drăgan, Zita Moldovan and Mihai Lukács
Performer: Mihaela Drăgan, Zita Moldovan, Liana Ceterchi
Music: Elena Albu
Languages: Romanian, Romani
Subtitles: English

Week 5: Change the System!

What kind of difficulties does a Roma child face when deprived of education? What would you do to defend the rights and liberties of your people? What can all of us do to live in a more accepting and open world? In this final week, experience stories that spotlight challenging, and changing, the system.

You Didn't See Anything! / Voi n-ați văzut nimic! (Romania), preceded by an interview with Alex Fifea and David Schwartz.

Tuesday 16 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Thursday 9 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

A man in backwards baseball cap stands in front a camera tripod.

Between 2014 and 2015, Alex Fifea conducted research into the circumstances of a young man’s murder. 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.

Trailer for You didn't see anything!

Writer and performer: Alex Fifea
Music: Catalin Rulea
Director: David Schwartz
Languages: Romanian, Romani
Subtitles: English

It's a Cultural Thing. Or is it? (Ireland), preceded by an interview with Michael Collins.

Wednesday 17 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Thursday 9 December at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

Michael Collins wearing a hat on stage.

Irish traveler and creator Michael Collins talks to his own daughter who doesn’t want to continue studying. In order to convince her, he tells a number of hard, sometimes amusing stories that prove that learning is indeed important.

Trailer for It's a cultural thing. Or is it?

Writer: Michael Collins
Performer: Michael Collins and Catharine Collins
Languages: English
Subtitles: English

The Hardest Word / A legnehezebb szó (United Kingdom), preceded by an interview with Richard O'Neill.

Thursday 18 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Friday 10 December at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

performer Edina Domok on stage.

This story is about the civil activity of Jess Smith—a writer, poet, and storyteller belonging to the Gypsy Traveler community in Scotland. Jess sets a goal for herself to demand that the country’s first minister apologize for the long centuries of persecution that Travelers had to suffer. From her confession, we learn what challenges she has to face while fighting steadily for her goals against her own family, the society, and the authority. She believes that sometimes civil disobedience is the only way to maintain our dignity.

Trailer for The Hardest Word

Writer: Richard R. O’Neill
Dramaturge: Márton Illés
Director: Rodrigó Balogh
Jess Smith: Edina Dömök
Languages: Hungarian
Subtitles: English

Romacen – The Age of the Witch / Romacen – Vremea vrăjitoarei (Romania), preceded by an interview with Mihaela Drăgan.

Friday 19 November at 9 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 5 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 18:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 19:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).
Friday 10 December at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 CET (Budapest, UTC +1) / 21:00 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

Performers playing futuristic witches conjuring.

The performance of the Giuvlipen company Romacen - The Age of the Witch tells the story of six cyber-witches who created an isolated, futuristic society called Romacen. The society is feminist and utopian which functions according to its own norms and law system. The reason for creating this society was that the members are fed up with the oppression of white people. With the help of technology and techno magic power it becomes possible to travel in time, create humanoid robots and make a direct cyber-attack against the non-Roma. The main question of the play is whether the new world can really be solidary and faithful to the original idea?

Trailer for Romacen – The Age of the Witch

Writer: Mihaela Drăgan
Director: Tina Turnheim
Performers: Ioana Costea, Mihaela Drăgan, Nicoleta Ghiță, Fatma Mohamed, Zita Moldovan, Anca Pitaru
Languages: Romanian
Subtitles: English

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