Did you take into consideration that many of your one-time and current business partners, collegues are among Maladype’s supporters when deciding to help the theatre?

Juli Király who I know for long and whose judgement is important for me had very good opinion about Zoltán Balázs and the theatre led by him. This raised my interest at first.

Krisztina Horváth – also an old acquaintance of yours – said in the interview that she wished for something extraordinary besides the decent, accurate business sector. Did you have similar motivations?

I attended a drama group at school, applied to the Theatre and Film Academy and I have many cultural and charity projects nowadays which are far away from business. Maladype is part of this sequence.

First you saw Ubu King then Platonov two times. What was so appealing in it?

For the second time I accompanied my daughter who spent her internship in Maladype under my advice. I was pretty surprised that I enjoyed it for the second time. I rarely see a performance twice, but Platonov turned out to be interesting again. Probably intimacy, honesty and improvisations are the key. Open-mindedness is the most appealing thing about the whole theatre. Generally I prefer independent theatres, becuse the others can not engage my attention. Naturality is very important in Maladype, they never put theatre on a pedestal. Artists let us enter their own world not just mentally but also phisically. In other theatres I feel the actors keep their distance.

Why did you suggested your daughter to spend her internship in Maladype?

Míra attends a French-speaking school but she is very much interested in literature and theatre, her dream is to be a publisher. When I met Zoli I thought Míra should get a deeper knowledge about theatre through spending some time in Maladype. This was a short period, she coul have spent it in any other theatres but she wouldn’t have been given so much occupation anywhere else, not to mention the experiences she got during these days. I don’t know what she will do in her future life but I’m pretty sure she will benefit from this internship. There are professional aspects and personal ones. I think her self-assessment improved a lot which is one of the most important things in a 17-year-old girl’s life.

You are the head of the mentor program and it was your idea to bring the students to Maladype. Zoltán and the actors do a self-awareness training for you. Why is it so important for the future bankers, financial specialists to get familiar with Maladype’s philosophy and its method?

The students participating in this mentor program are members of a selected group. The name of this project is Together for the future – The future leaders of economy. It’s markedly an elite training, in which we are looking for kids expected to get leading positions in economy in the future. Being a good professional is not enough for becoming a good leader, that’s why we are keep on widening their horizons to make them become a person responsible not just for the economic unit but the whole society. One part of the program consists of charity projects, the other part deploys their creativity and such skills that will make them a better worker. This cooperation with Maladype Theatre is a good opportunity for them to improve their self-awareness and on the other hand for becoming more open-minded. Being a successful leader depends not just on cleverness but on empathy and the ability to cooperate, to assign common interests and let them evolve.

You take part in the trainings with your students. Why?

First and foremost I enjoy it very much, on the other hand I observe my students. They have to go through a very complicated preliminary, have many chances to prove their talent and to learn some problem solving technics. But when they are out of their usual surroindings many hidden traits emerges which they have to be aware of. This training helps them a lot because it’s very different from their routine, makes them behave up front. It’s important for me to see them working in such situations, this makes it easier to help them improving.

What are those particular values you have in common with Maladype?

The question is not what we share but how we hold on to our fixed values. In my opinion it’s a huge success for a community to follow some constant and definite values on the long run. This must be the secret of surviving. The mentor program is of high quality that we insist on. The other thing in common is the openness and the ability to take ourselves not so seriously. The profession of bankers is not an easy genre but being open-eyed and considerate regarding our micro or macro surroundings is as necessary for us as it is for an artist.

In your opinion what could be the new ways of cooperation between art and business?

During the economic boom people were willing to donate. Now it’s more difficult, only a few of us can afford to support cultural institutions. The bigger the financial distress the less people to take part in charity.

Your project with Maladype can be a good example of connecting arts and business? This win-win situation may inspire others...

Certainly, it can be a positive example. Moreover it doesn’t have a fixed time period, we can continue it anytime, anyhow. It’s aim is to make this generation much more interested in theatre and in cultural life. This is more effective on the long run than financial support.

What are your future plans with Maladype?

By that time this project ends many people will get familiar with the idea. I hope we will cooperate with Maladype next year in the mentor program or in any other projects. I think it’s important for every student to be open-minded and I hope this collaboration was only the beginning of something important and innovative...

Kata Koroknyai