This city fosters creativity - Interview with Zoltán Balázs / 2013

Interview with Zoltán Balázs, Director of the Maladype Theatre in Budapest

Sibiu has always been a special place, and the Sibiu International Theatre Festival is now a meeting point for some of the most prominent creators in today's theatre scene. During this time, the city’s squares and streets serve as a source of inspiration for Zoltán Balázs, the director who is currently working on a new production with the actors of the National Theatre, which will be presented next month. In the following lines, you can read about this, as well as how the director feels in this city.

- We can say that you are an old friend of the city. Two years ago, your production of Leonce and Lena was presented at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, and last year you brought Egg Night here. What do you think of the city outside the festival?

- The city literally buzzes with life, and the intimacy of its spaces is conducive to the arts. Sibiu is a beautiful, quiet city. It's especially quiet at night. In its interestingly atmospheric cafés, new friendships can be born. I love walking through the city’s squares and streets, where I sometimes engage in conversation with the people around me. I could never get bored here.

- You really enjoy walking at night? Do you never sleep?

- At night, you can both search and find. Also, I can't stay in one place for long. I can't stand being locked in a house, especially when I’m traveling. I feel the same way at home; I always want to go, to be on the move. This is how my ideas come to me, which I then write down. Sibiu has a special atmosphere that inspires me.

- At the beginning of the year, you started working on Mihail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita. What are the actors of the Radu Stanca National Theatre like, and how is it working with them?

- The actors in Sibiu are truly open and creative, which I think is very important. Although they are involved in several parallel projects, we’ve managed to form a team. They are all very busy, reviving productions and going on tour. Of course, this takes a toll on them physically and mentally, but together, we’ve managed to find the right energy to bring this text, rich in layers of meaning and challenges, to the stage. During the rehearsal process, there will also be breaks, as the actors are on tour with The Ball (directed by Radu Alexandru Nica) in Luxembourg, and I will be presenting King Ubu with Maladype at the Tehran FADJR Festival in Iran. By the way, The Master and Margarita was first staged in Romania by Cătălina Buzoianu in 1980 at the Teatru Mic, and it was a great success. The set design for the current Sibiu production is being done by Buzoianu's daughter, Velica Panduru. So, I can say that I enjoy the support of many extraordinary people, from the company to the technicians and my collaborators. I am very satisfied.

- You have high expectations. Are you nervous about the premiere?

- No. I’m generally not someone who gets nervous. I get asked this question often, but I always give the same answer: I wasn’t nervous as an actor, and I’m even less nervous as a director. If I know what I want to achieve and I can be committed to my team, if the actors are performing their tasks attentively, then everything will be fine, and people will pay attention to us. This city fosters creativity, and its theatre is highly valued. The actors are very good, true professionals, and at the same time, they have managed to retain a certain childlike playfulness, which they can show in this production. I believe that together, we can create a new world on stage.

Zile și nopți, 2013

Translated by: Panna Adorjáni

Translated to English by Zsuzsanna Juraszek