ORT IKI: Kökény Matyi / 10th Theatre Olimpics

Ort-Iki Puppet and Street Theatre

Ort-Iki Puppet and Street Theatre has been operating as an independent theatre since 1989.

Why Ort-Iki? Becoming an independent theatre starts with the first independent play. The search for their own name was simultaneous with the search for their own form of puppet theatre. Both were found in the process of adapting a Vogul bear song. The Siberian mythological figure, Ort-Iki, the World Watchman, is the prefiguration of the hero of several of their later plays. Since the theatre's beginnings, they have written and directed their own plays, made their own puppets and props, and organised their own performances.

They consider it important that their performances are independent of technical conditions such as lighting and sound. There is usually no sharp boundary between the actors and the audience, and the audience often plays a role in resolving the dramatic situation.

They follow the traditions of street and fairground puppetry and theatre, and their themes are mostly drawn from folk and medieval dramatic heritage. Their performances prove that even the smallest children can understand and follow the texts, idioms and moral content that were written hundreds of years ago.

Their performances can also be seen at community events in small towns and villages, village fairs, castle plays, children's days, harvest fairs and fairs all over the country.

In recognition of their work, they were awarded the title of Outstanding Artistic Ensemble in 1993, the UNIMA Small Diploma in 1996 and the Pierrot Prize of Vidor Festival in 2014.

In addition to their traditional puppet theatre performances, they also perform stilt puppetry and giant puppet fairground attractions.In their shows, they present several popular stunts of itinerant performers: fire blowing, paper cutting with whips, power juggling, and animal (centaur) taming.

Vásári attrakciók

The noisy attack of stilt-walkers and musicians to liven up the mood of loitering passers-by, to steer their gaze and footsteps in the desired direction. The performance features the famous Mrs. Kiss, born Mariska Nagy, a retired prima donna of the Nyebuzhennoje Opera House, bringing along her husband, who has been forced to get into a wheelbarrow after drinking too much. In addition to whip cracking and flag twirling acts, a real centaur comes to life before the amazed eyes.

Directed by Ort-Iki, based on ideas by Zoltán Dió

Featuring Zoltán Dió, István Kiss, Balázs Pálmai, Gábor Pusztai, Judit Új

Duration: 40 minutes

Language: Hungarian