Independent theatre and dance troupes as well as performance venues regard their situation as a hopeless one, since this year they have not received a penny in state support. Their debts are mounting and a great many of the artists have not been paid their salaries for months. As they see it not only is the start of the September 2010 theatre season at risk, but their very livelihoods too. 

Such a scenario could damage the whole of Hungarian theatrical life, which these troupes and hosting theatres form an intrinsic part of. The independents that often provide inspiration for traditional theatres would be entitled by law to ten percent of the amount allocated to local government theatres which amounts to 3.8 percent of the total support for the theatre segment (see table).

There is a clear explanation why this situation has developed. It was only on 16 March that the ministry for education and culture of the previous government announced the tender relating to support for theatrical and dance organizations classified by the Act on Performing Arts of 2008 as category six, i.e. independent.  Thus the Performing Arts Council was only able to submit its proposal to the new ministry, the Ministry of National Resources (NEFMI) on 17 June. 

In the same boat

In accordance with the act of 2008 the independents have only been able to put in their applications this year, but only those who registered two years ago can expect some support. There are 108 registered independent theatres and troupes out of which 97 troupes and performance venues have applied for the almost 1.3 billion forints they are entitled to. However, they do not know who will receive a share of the money nor if in the end they will receive any of the funds originally allocated to them, since the government has frozen 120 billion forints citing the budget deficit, and everyone must share this burden, including the cultural sector. 

Those affected would rather not speculate either on how important culture is for the new government or to what degree national, open air and traditional theatres - financed by local government funds and thus unaffected by the freezing of funds - sympathise with the plight of the independent troupes. Yet they probably have no reason to speculate since the state secretary's office for culture recently announced that 66 percent of the allocated support would be transferred to their accounts by the National Cultural Fund. However, this promise has not alleviated the pessimism felt by the troupes.  The long administrative process means that they will only be able to access the money in October and thus, as they put it, this will at least allow them to face financial ruin with a little money in their accounts.     

Relative freedom

The system of support has frequently changed and although the distribution of funds was never ideal, in the last 19 years theatre troupes always received state support. However, the act of 2008 on the performing arts has even squeezed bigger companies with greater expenses into the ‘independent' category, which until now had not received support from funds earmarked for independents.

The organisations in question themselves recognise that among the 97 applicants there are perhaps some that have requested unrealistic amounts, but since the application process is not public, the affected parties are not able to assess the true situation. (According to our sources of information an additional 50-60 organisations registered this year, which will thus be eligible to apply for funds in two years' time). The present scandal will put at risk the millions awaited by low budget troupes, as opposed to the expensively run traditional theatres. 

The new application system is made worse by the fact that organisations operating under different circumstances are now forced to compete on a level playing field: for example there are theatres that do not have to pay rent, therefore they should not be allowed to apply for funds for operational expenses in the same way as others. (It was possible to apply separately to the National Cultural Fund for each separate production).  

The present situation has drawn the people affected by it together rather than turned them against one another, who, despite their success at numerous festivals and artists being able to freely move between theatres (for example Eszter Csákányi, András Jeles, Viktor Bodó, Vilmos Vajdai or Bori Péterfy), cannot count on the solidarity of the traditional theatres. All the more so since the budget support for provincial theatres was cut by 500 million forints for this year, while the support for the independent theatres increased by the same amount - at least on paper.  

Little fish in the pond

The theatre troupes that have encountered financial difficulties are well aware that they have to adjust to market conditions, but insist that their activities will never be orientated towards profit. The opportunities for success on the market are well understood by Péter Márton Bauer, the manager of Bakelit Multi Art Center (which has operated in a former factory for five years), who has been filling the theatre for years and now for the third year has applied for and received initially two and then eight million forints of state support. It was at this time that it became clear to him that a cultural institution cannot be managed under market conditions. 

Bakelit has been the venue for such performances as 20/20, a play by Yorik Studio from Marosvásárhely, and the production of the Osonó Theatre Workshop from Sepsiszentgyörgy titled Details from the Tales of Wandering, which has collected numerous prizes. It was also from here that the KoMa troupe went on to win world acclaim. According to Bauer's account his audiences, which occasionally reach 100-150, always leave feeling they have experienced something different and often something better than in the traditional theatres. The L1 Ensemble (L1 Dance Works) works in the neighbourhood of Bakelit. Its representative and choreographer, Márta Ladjánszki, believes the critical situation of the performing arts provides the occasion to talk through problems and for the theatrical profession to think through the whole structure of its operation.    

INDEPENDENTS - FACTS AND FIGURES

Included among the previously mentioned 97 applicants are the Szeged Contemporary Ballet, managed by Tamás Juronics, Iván Markó's Festival Ballet, the Central Europe Theatre of Dance, managed by Csaba Szögi, Merlin, MU Theatre, Béla Pintér and his Troupe (several times winners of the POSZT-Prize), as well as the Sputnik Shipping Troupe, Krétakör, Maladype Theatre, Tünet Ensemble, Studio K, managed by Tamás Fodor, Pince Theatre, Szkéné, the Zsámbéki Theatre and Tűzraktér. 

Half of the organisations are troupes without their own premises to perform in and close to 80 percent of them operate in Budapest. In 2009 troupes that are classified as belonging to the ‘independent' category presented almost six thousand performances, ten percent of which were performed abroad. The dance and theatre productions put on by the 2,500 artists that participated in them were seen by a total of 870,000 including people who - because of the absence of a traditional theatre or the high price of tickets - would otherwise not partake in the theatre experience. In 2009 support came to 44 percent of the total income of these organizations, 20 percent of which came from ticket sales and the distribution of productions, and the rest from sponsors.

Some views

Béla Pintér: "If I get it into my mind that a space ship will land at my doorstep, then it will. My troupe is not driven by sound economic concepts but rather by my desires that always come before sponsors (..) My troupe is not a good vehicle for advertising, we can't base our existence on such a thing. Maybe we will turn to Western Europe for some kind of help (...) I am certain that the majority of theatre goers would miss Béla Pintér and his Troupe."

Yvette Bozsik: "I have heard some say that I have no business being in the ‘independent' category since I have even performed in the Palace of the Arts. They say if I have had such big audiences, I can no longer be innovative. Such statements actually attack other "big companies" too, but we were not able to register in the third [dance-] category, because it had not been worked out yet (...) From 1 August there won't be an Yvette Bozsik Troupe anymore, which is not only a result of the current financial crisis but also the lack of solidarity and backbiting of the previous years."

Attila Vidnyánszky: "If cuts are made in the whole profession, then it would not be fair if in one area - namely the independents, who belong to category six - to have the state support they use for their operations to be doubled. (...) It should not be allowed to happen that they drift into a precarious situation and certain troupes are shut down (...), but in the meantime the act should be harmonized and rehauled as fast as possible because things are bad enough already."

(Source of quotations: the portal of Színház magazine)