13th Madách International Theatre Meeting

Towards the end of The Tragedy of Man, Adam, the first man, encounters the survivors of humanity – beyond the concluding catastrophe of world history, beyond the destruction of the natural environment, and also beyond a wave of population explosion that already equals extinction.

Imre Madách (1823–1864) started to work on the final version of his ‘dramatic poem’ of humanity in his very remote home, Alsósztregova, in 1859, exactly ten years after the defeat of the Hungarian war of independence.

What makes this classic of Baroque Spanish drama topical? What is the difference between film and theatre? What makes the Theatre Olympics special? These are some of the questions we asked of the British creators of Life is a Dream, a production coming to MITEM from Madrid. This performance staged by director Declan Donnellan and stage/costume designer Nick Ormerod is also about whether we can tell the difference between dreams and reality.

The audience will be able to follow live the process of mask painting and dressing up of Kathakali actors until 8:30 PM in the so-called "Green room".

An informative presentation about the myth and the poetry of the Indian Kathakali dance theatre Tiziana Barbiero, a founder member of the Teatro tascabile di Bergamo, will present the genre of Kathakali with the participation of the main actors, Kalamandalam John and Sadanam Krishnankutty, and the musicians.

On 19 April 2023, the International Committee of the Theatre Olympics, in the presence of Theodoros Terzopoulos, Chairman, Tadashi Suzuki, Co-Founder and Valery Fokin, International Committee Member, officially elected Attila Vidnyánszky, General Director of the Hungarian National Theatre, as a member of the International Committee.

On 27 March, on the occasion of World Theatre Day, the Greek director giant, who founded the Olympics, Theodoros Terzopoulos, gifted the National Theatre with a traditional theatrical tragedy mask. The ceremony took place in the ancient Greek amphitheater of Epidaurus. The traditional theatrical mask will arrive in Hungary for the opening event on 15 April, where it will also cross the Danube as part of a breathtaking production.

The organisers of the exhibition within the framework of the Theatre Olympics have launched an open call to the entire profession: the designers themselves choose their favourite productions from the last 15 years. The exhibition space will not only feature tableaux, but also original designs, set elements, models, furniture, puppets and costumes, providing a representative overview of the Hungarian scene.