Singing Youth

Every singing group is a tank, playing its part in the seizure of the reactionary cultural policy castle.
Endre Székely, Out into the Sunlight, Singing Worker, 1947

What did young people sing in the 1950s, and what do they sing today? What messages are conveyed through songs from positions of power? What ideas are embodied by the works of art commissioned and put on display in public space? What do the favorite bands of the regime sing about?

Singing Youth, double life-size aluminum figures of two girls and a boy with a flute, bear witness to the last 70 years of Hungarian history, full of turbulent times during which music and culture in general remained important in young people’s lives and was a key tool for those in power to promote their ideologies. The three figures are doubled on stage: our world, as represented in these songs, comes to life through the performance of six young singer-performers with Máté Szigeti’s original music.

Singing Youth is the result of the collaborative work of our team of creators and performers. Throughout the collaboration, we divided the required tasks and roles based on competency and availability, leaving room for opportunities to learn from each other. We aspired to follow feminist dramaturgical principles, including transparency, avoiding self-exploitation and exploitation of each other, as well as practicing various forms of care.

Written and directed by Judit Böröcz, Bence György Pálinkás and Máté Szigeti
Music by Máté Szigeti
Choir director: Péter Fehérváry
Choreographer: Zsófia Tamara Vadas
Light: Balázs Szabon
Video: Sári Ember
Photo: Sári Ember, Dániel Pék, Fortepan/Kovács József
Documentation: László Dinea, András Szőnyi
Translation: Anna Bentley (EN), Sophia Matteikat (DE)
Performers: Péter Fehérváry, Maxim Jurin, Tamás Kiss, Katalin Mezei, Eszter Sokhegyi, Máté Szilvay
Light technician: Balázs Szabon
Production: Trafó House of Contemporary Arts

Curator: Tarek Abou El Fetouh

Supporters: Municipality of Budapest, Staféta Grant Programme, National Cultural Fund, FÜGE Productions, Jurányi Art Incubator House, New Performing Arts Foundation (Új Előadóművészeti Alapítvány)

The production was realized under the Staféta program, announced and supported by the Municipality of Budapest, with additional support from the Ministry of Human Resources.
The performance is created under the Liberty international partnership, with the support of the Creative Europe Program of the European Union.