Sociopoly

Lifeboat Unit

The play is about the life of poor families living in small villages in Hungary today. The families can only rely on income from welfare, casual work or moonlighting - these are the sources from which our players have to make a living. In the constructed reality of the game, everyone becomes poor for an hour or two and feels the squeeze of exclusion. We use the emotional energy of the game to help participants experience the tensions of everyday survival without work, money or resources.

The villagers - personified by the audience - are given choices. Do they want to work in the black economy, pay the electricity bill, go to a loan shark for a loan? When a player is confronted with the alternatives for a poor person to choose from, with the question of what a welfare or family allowance is enough for, there is a chance to turn from intolerance to solidarity.

The teams of 10-15 spectators (representing families of 4 - parents and 2 children) will have to live on these resources for a month. They move along a board marking the days of the month, while actors present short sketches of the village's most notable inhabitants: the loan shark, the policeman, the mayor, who address the audience directly. The spectators have to make decisions about their expenses and income, but of course, as in life, chance sometimes becomes a factor...