The audience of AITA/IATA International Amateur Theater Festival in Debrecen were captivated by Vilnius University (VU) Drama Theatre's performance "Hour 00" (dir. Felicija Feiferė). One of the curators of the AITA/IATA International Amateur Theater Festival in Debrecen, president of the Hungarian Federation of Amateur Theaters & Players János Regős has shared his reflections on the performance: 

The Theatre of Timelessness

For me, this was the most memorable performance of the festival. Even when watching their video, I felt that out of the sixty or so applicants, the performance The Hour 00 must surely be among the 12 performances to be invited to the festival.

Then, when I saw the performance of the Vilnius University Drama Theater live, I was captivated by the clarity of their theatrical ideas, the infinitely sensitive presence of the actors and the careful selection of objects, props, and lights.

The three black-clad parkas, like the chorus of Greek dramas, connect, flow, center and reflect the individual episodes of this performance with an exceptional tone. Almost all scenes are based on the motif of returning home from the front: returning from hell, from the throat of death, meeting those who are waiting for us or we would like them to wait for us. And those unforgettable gestures! As the woman takes out from a bag then polishes, arranges the dishes and a flower on the table. As she walks around his son with a wobbly waist. Or the metamorphosis of military boots! As two hands touch each other over the table, as the girl lays the heavy military coat on the table, and snuggles up to it, as it were a live body. Unforgettable scenes, beyond words.

This group knows something very important about theater: how to compress everyday events into a whole drama: using only a few words, short but sharpened replica, meaningful props and objects. To speak without pathos about what is uplifting and calmly, about what is unbearable. About collapsing homes, post-war trauma, never-finding-home. As the horrors we have experienced fall upon us, like the earth on a coffin lowered into a grave. The last time I encountered this kind of way of phrasing and personal involvement was in Tadeusz Kantor's performances and Tarkovsky's films. As for the projected films: I mostly have reservations about videos projected onto the horizon. Here - since the performance unfolded basically through images - these interjections became an integral part of the performance.

Although we move slowly from image to image, there is something solemn and ritual-like about it. And there is never a dull moment, in fact, the slowness helps us to focus on the performance with our full attention and with the same dedication as the actors do.

I do congratulate the Vilnius team and their director, Felicija Feiferė. I hope that many people will be able to see this heart-wrenching performance.

János Regős

One of the curators of the AITA/IATA International Amateur Theater Festival in Debrecen, president of the Hungarian Federation of Amateur Theaters & Players.

More about VU Drama Theatre performance and impressions at AITA/IATA International Amateur Theater Festival in Debrecen: HERE.