COLONY - The escape story of Abouzar and Armin
A special indoor theatre edition of the original performative docu-walk as part of the STEREO10 Festival
Schedule
"I crossed the border legally, yet the first thing we saw of Hungary was barbed wire. Fences and police everywhere. No grass, not a tree in sight, just concrete and iron. We spent 553 days in a container. Armin, my son, was 10 years old at the time."
/Abouzar Soltani, Iranian refugee, 2021./
We present the theatrical version of our highly successful performative docu-walk, which originally premiered in the former tobacco factory on Kőbányai Way.
Together with our team of actors, singers and involved civil society participants, we will take a look back at the first period of the refugee crisis since 2015 and learn the story of Abouzar and his son Armin, the last witnesses of the world of the transit zones on the southern border in Hungary. Stories of human escape stories and the faceless propaganda that manipulates public opinion are brought to life through personal recollections and musical compositions.
In the current revolution, many Iranians, especially women and religious and ethnic minorities, are living in fear only because they are fighting for their freedom. In tribute to Iranian women, the performance will close with a short concert by five Iranian women living in Hungary.
Trailer of the original performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8dlHSiRVfc
Iranian guides:
Abouzar Soltani
Armin Soltani
Choir:
Petra Al-Farman (Soharóza)
Máté Martinkovics
Emina Messaoudi
László Somogyi (Soharóza)
Musical director: Tara Khozein
Visuals by Petra Mák
Interpreter: Khaibar Shenwari
Production Assistant: Zsuzsanna Balogh
Producer: Dániel Mayer
Dramaturg: Bíró Bence
Director: Martin Boross
Professional partner: Hungarian Helsinki Committee
Cooperation partner: Soharóza
Production partner. Trafó House of Contemporary Arts
Special thanks to:
Budapest Methodological Social Centre and its Institutions (BMSZKI)
Barbara Pohárnok (Helsinki Committee), Tímea Kovács
The performance includes excerpts from András Földes' article "The transit zone is actually a prison, where pregnant women are also handcuffed" (published at index.hu on 12.06.2017).
The performance was created as part of the Liberty international project, with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
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The STEREO AKT theatre company turns ten this spring. To celebrate the anniversary, we are organising a cross-genre festival from 1 to 17 May. The STEREO10 Festival programme includes performance arts, urban walks, workshops, installations, concerts and children's activities.
The series of events will focus on living together and belonging to a thriving community. The festival's more than 25 programmes are all works inspired by community or local issues. Among other things, we will reflect on phenomena such as war and the refugee crisis; Roma equality; women's rights; the housing crisis and sustainability, but above all the vibrant and diverse 8th district of Budapest!
The centre of the festival will be the STEREO Workshop (1083 Budapest, Illés utca 36.), the new cultural and community space of the 8th district, which opened this March, but the programmes will not be exclusively held here.
STEREO Workshop
STEREO Workshop is a new cultural hub and community space in Budapest’s vibrant and diverse 8th District. The Workshop is a socially engaged, community-focused, contemporary cultural center.
It’s an incubation house and meeting space, with a rehearsal hall and co-working office for all those who need a welcoming and inspiring environment for their artistic, creative or community work.
The Workshop will primarily host performing arts creative processes, but we aim to provide a home for any project with a focus on contemporary culture and community.
