Proton Theatre
# Proton Theatre

Proton Theatre is an independent company based in Hungary. It was founded in 2009 and is operating according to the production concept shaped by Kornél Mundruczó (film and theatre director) and Dóra Büki (theatre producer). The virtual artistic group is organized around the director's independent productions.

## History

Mundruczó has worked in the theatre field since 2003. During his career, he has developed a unique working method, already put to use in 2007 with his piece Frankenstein-project at Bárka Theatre. This highly acclaimed work was to be the Proton Theatre's founding production. It convinced him of the need for a “base”, where he could work freely with his own company. Theatre producer Dóra Büki devised the organisation's operational structure to ensure the long runs of their performances. Thus, in 2009, the Proton Theatre was born.

Besides preserving maximum artistic freedom, their goal is to provide a professional framework for their independently produced theatre plays and projects.

Chiefly, their performances are realized as international co-productions, and their frequent collaborators include the Vienna Festival; HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin; KunstenFestivalDesArts, Brussels; Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest; and HELLERAU, Dresden. Besides productions directed by the artistic leader – namely, The Ice (2006), Frankenstein-project (2007), Hard to be a God (2010), Disgrace (2012), Dementia (2013), Winterreise (2015), Imitation of life (2016), The Raft of the Medusa (2018) and Evolution (2019) – they wish to provide space for the realisation of the company members’ ideas. In this spirit, the following performances were created: Last (2014), directed by Roland Rába, 1 link (2015), directed by Gergely Bánki, and Finding Quincy by János Szemenyei.

Their co-producers are among the most prestigious festivals and theatres. On their first international co-production, Hard to be a God, the main co-producer was KunstenFestivalDesArts, on their second, Disgrace, the Vienna Festival, on their third, Dementia, HAU Hebbel am Ufer, and Vienna Festival again on their fourth. Their constant partner in Hungary is Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.

Proton Theatre performances have toured more than 110 festivals over the years – from Festival d’Avignon and the Adelaide Festival to the Singapore International Festival of Arts, the Seoul Bo:m Festival, and the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. In 2017 their performance Imitation of life was nominated for the Faust Award for Mundruczó's outstanding directorial achievement. It was the first time in the history of this award that a non-German theatre was nominated.

## Productions

### The Seven Deadly Sins/Motherland

Kornél Mundruczó has paired his production of The Seven Deadly Sins with the drama Motherland, which explores the subjects of capitalist exploitation and the exercise of power in a family of the present day.

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 16 July 2020 Theater Freiburg, Freiburg |
| Co-production with | Theater Freiburg, Germany |
| Author | Bertolt Brecht/Kata Wéber |

### Evolution

Based on György Ligeti's Requiem the world premier of Kornél Mundruczó and Proton Theatre lies on the boundary of concert and theatre and analyses the theme of repetition.

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 5 September 2019 Ruhrtriennale, Bochum |
| Co-production with | Ruhrtriennale, Bochum, Germany |
| Author | György Ligeti, Kata Wéber |

**Festival invitations**

* Ruhrtriennale 2019. Bochum, Germany

### The Raft of the Medusa

The Raft of the Medusa, an oratory by Hans Werner Henze, was inspired by Théodore Géricault's famous painting by the same name from 1819. Directed by Kornél Mundruczó, this installation of the Proton Theatre aimed to tell the story of The Raft of the Medusa – one that is universally valid and spans different eras – from a unique perspective.

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 31 August 2018 Ruhrtriennale, Bochum |
| Co-production with | Ruhrtriennale, Bochum, Germany |
| Author | Hans Werner Henze |

**Festival invitations**

* Ruhrtriennale 2018. Bochum, Germany

### Finding Quincy

| Director | János Szemenyei |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 16 December 2017Madách Theatre, Budapest |
| Author | István Kormos, Gergely Bánki, János Szemenyei |

### Imitation of life

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 27 April 2016Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest (World premiere) |
| Co-production with | Vienna Festival, AustriaTheater Oberhausen, GermanyLa Rose des Vents, Lille, FranceMaillon, Théâtre de Strasbourg / Scène européenne, FranceTrafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest, HungaryHebbel HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, GermanyHELLERAU - European Center for the Arts, Dresden, GermanyWiesbaden Biennale, Germany |
| Author | Kata Wéber |

**Festival invitations**

* Vienna Festival 2016. Vienna, Austria
* Theater Oberhausen 2016. Germany
* Wiesbaden Biennale 2016. Germany
* HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts 2016. Dresden, Germany
* HAU Hebbel am Ufer 2016. Berlin, Germany
* NEXT Festival 2016. Lille, France
* Platonov Arts Festival 2017. Voronezh, Russia
* 17th National Theatre Festival 2017. Pécs, Hungary
* Festival Boulevard 2017. 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
* Zürcher Theater Spektakel 2017. Switzerland
* Baltic House Festival 2017. Saint Petersburg, Russia
* Sirenos Festival 2017. Vilnius, Lithuania
* Spring in Autumn 2017. Utrecht, The Netherlands
* Łaźnia Nowa Teatr 2017. Cracow, Poland
* TR Warszawa 2017. Warsaw, Poland
* dunaPart4 - Platform of Contemporary Hungarian Performing Arts 2017. Budapest, Hungary
* Lessingtage 2018. Thalia Theater Hamburg, Germany
* MC93 2018. Bobigny, France
* Théâtre de Vidy 2018. Lausanne, Switzerland
* Maillon 2018. Strasbourg, France
* Alkantara Festival 2018. Lisbon, Portugal
* Athens Festival 2018. Greece
* Theaterfestival Basel 2018. Switzerland
* 26th International Festival Theatre 2018. Pilsen, Czech Republic
* CDN Orléans 2018. France
* VIE Festival 2019. Bologna, Italy
* MESS International Theatre Festival 2019. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* FIT Festival 2019. Lugano, Switzerland

**Award**

* Best scenery: Márton Ágh - Hungarian Theatre Critics' Association
* Best writing and dramaturgy: Kata Wéber and Soma Boronkay - 17th National Theatre Festival 2017. Pécs, Hungary
* Best scenery: Márton Ágh - 17th National Theatre Festival 2017. Pécs, Hungary
* Audience Award - Baltic House Festival 2017. Saint Petersburg, Russia

### Winterreise

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 3 October 2015Budapest Music Center |
| Co-production with | CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts FestivalDanubia Orchestra ÓbudaIván Fischer's Apartment Theatre (FILC) |
| Author | Franz Schubert, Hans Zender |

**Festival invitations**

* "Fremd bin ich..." Classical Music Festival - Mousonturm 2017. Frankfurt am Main, Germany
* HAU Hebbel am Ufer 2017. Berlin, Germany
* HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts 2018. Dresden, Germany
* Wiener Festwochen 2018. Vienna, Austria
* Mittelfest 2018. Cividale del Friuli, Italy
* Maillon 2019. Strasbourg, France

### 1 link

Since January 2019, the Katona József Theatre’s "Sufni" (Shed) Studio has hosted the performance based on the award-winning cyber novel written under a pseudonym.

| Director | Gergely Bánki |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 25 May 2015Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest (World premiere) |
| Co-production with | Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest, Hungary |
| Author | Jake Smiles |

**Festival invitations**

* National Theatre of Pécs 2016. Pécs, Hungary

### Last

| Director | Roland Rába |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 11 September 2014Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest (World premiere) |
| Co-production with | Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest, Hungary |
| Author | Performance text created by Roland Rába based on the company's improvisations |

**Festival invitations**

* National Theatre of Pécs 2015. Pécs, Hungary
* Jászai Mari Theatre 2016. Tatabánya, Hungary
* National Theatre of Szeged 2017. Szeged, Hungary

### Dementia

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 15 October 2013Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest (World premiere) |
| Co-production with | HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, GermanyThéâtre National de Bordeaux en Aquitaine, FranceHELLERAU - European Center for the Arts, Dresden, GermanyTrafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest, HungaryFestival De Keuze/Rotterdamse Schouwburg, HollandiaNoorderzon Performing Arts Festival, Groningen, HollandiaSPIELART Festival, Munich, GermanyFestival Automne en Normandie, Rouen, FranceMaria Matos Teatro Municipal, Lisbon, PortugalMousonturm, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyKunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels, Belgium |
| Author | Kornél Mundruczó, Kata Wéber |

**Festival invitations**

* SPIELART Festival 2013. Munich, Germany
* Novart Festival 2013. Théâtre National de Bordeaux en Aquitaine, France
* HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts 2014. Dresden, Germany
* HAU Hebbel am Ufer 2014. Berlin, Germany
* Maria Matos Teatro Municipal 2014. Lisboa, Portugal
* Nová Dráma Festival 2014. Bratislava, Slovakia
* New Plays from Europe 2014. Mousonturm, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
* Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival 2014. Groningen, The Netherlands
* Festival De Keuze 2014. Rotterdamse Schouwburg, The Netherlands
* Baltic House Festival 2014. Saint Petersburg, Russia
* NET Festival 2014. Moscow, Russia
* Automne en Normandie 2014. Evreux, France
* NEXT Festival 2014. Lille, France
* Nervöse Systeme 2014. Schauspielhaus Zürich, Switzerland
* Lessingtage 2015. Thalia Theater, Hamburg, Germany
* dunaPart3 - Platform of Contemporary Hungarian Performing Arts 2015. Budapest, Hungary
* Singapore International Festival of Arts 2015. Singapore
* International Theatre Forum TEART 2016. Minsk, Belarus
* Theatre World Brno 2017. Czech Republic

**Award**

* Critics’ Award - Baltic House Festival 2014. Saint Petersburg, Russia

### Disgrace

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 17 May 2012Vienna Festival, Vienna |
| Co-production with | Vienna Festival, AustriaFestival d’Avignon, FranceKunstenFestivalDesArts, Brussels, BelgiumTrafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest, HungaryMalta Festival, Poznan, PolandHAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, GermanyRomaeuropa Festival, Rome, Italy |
| Author | J.M. Coetzee |

**Festival invitations**

* Vienna Festival 2012. Vienna, Austria
* KunstenFestivalDesArts 2012. Brussels, Belgium
* Malta Festival 2012. Poznan, Poland
* Festival d’Avignon 2012. France
* HAU Hebbel am Ufer 2012. Berlin, Germany
* Romaeuropa Festival 2012. Rome, Italy
* Hungarian Showcase 2013. Budapest, Hungary
* National Theatre of Pécs 2013. Pécs, Hungary
* 13th National Theatre Festival 2013. Pécs, Hungary
* Tampere Theatre Festival 2013. Finland
* Züricher Theater Spektakel 2013. Switzerland
* Maillon 2014. Strasbourg, France
* NEXT Festival 2015. Lille, France
* Mousonturm 2015. Frankfurt am Main, Germany
* 24th International Festival Theatre 2016. Plzeň, Czech Republic

**Awards**

* Best direction: Kornél Mundruczó - 13th National Theatre Festival 2013. Pécs, Hungary
* Best scenery: Márton Ágh - 13th National Theatre Festival 2013. Pécs, Hungary

### Hard to be a God

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 21 May 2010Kunsten Festival des Arts, Brussels (World premiere) |
| Co-production with | Alkantara Festival, Lisbon, PortugalBaltoscandal, Rakvere, EstoniaCulturgest, Lisbon, PortugalKunstenFestivalDesArts, Brussels, BelgiumRotterdamse Schouwburg, The NetherlandsTheater der Welt 2010, Essen, GermanyThéâtre National de Bordeaux en Aquitaine, FranceTrafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest, Hungary |
| Author | Kornél Mundruczó, Yvette Bíró |

**Festival invitations**

* KunstenFestivalDesArts 2010. Brussels, Belgium
* Alkantara Festival 2010. Lisbon, Portugal
* Theater der Welt 2010. Essen, Germany
* Festival de Keuze 2010. Rotterdamse Schouwburg, The Netherlands
* Novart Festival 2010. Théâtre National de Bordeaux en Aquitaine, France
* dunaPart2 - Platform of Contemporary Hungarian Performing Arts 2011. Budapest, Hungary
* POT Festival 2011. Tallinn, Estonia
* Vienna Festival 2011. Vienna, Austria
* Malta Festival 2011. Poznan, Poland
* La Batie – Festival de Geneve 2011. Geneva, Switzerland
* La Filature 2011. Mulhouse, France
* Politics in Independent Theatre - HELLERAU 2011. Dresden, Germany
* Adelaide Festival 2012. Adelaide, Australia
* MESS International Theatre Festival 2012. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Arm und Reich Festival 2013. Schauspielhaus Zürich, Switzerland
* BITEF Festival 2013. Belgrade, Serbia
* Summer Festival 2020. Gyula, Hungary

**Awards**

* Price of the Federal Agency for Civic Education - 8th Politics in Independent Theatre; Staatsschauspiel Dresden 2011. HELLERAU, Germany
* International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) award - MESS International Theatre Festival 2012. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* MESS Forum "Luka Pavlović" Award by Theatre Critics and Journalists - MESS International Theatre Festival 2012. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Special Mention of MESS Jury - MESS International Theatre Festival 2012. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

### Frankenstein-project

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 15 October 2007Bárka Theatre, Budapest (World premiere) |
| Co-production with | |
| Author | Kornél Mundruczó, Yvette Bíró |

**Festival invitations**

* Festival Premiéres 2008. Strasbourg, France
* 8th National Theatre Festival 2008. Pécs, Hungary
* New Plays from Europe 2008. Wiesbaden, Germany
* International Theatre Festival Divadelná Nitra 2008. Nitra, Slovakia
* Temps d’Images, La Ferme du Buisson 2008. Paris, France
* dunaPart - Platform of Contemporary Hungarian Performing Arts 2008. Budapest, Hungary
* Krakowskie Reminiscencje Teatralne 2009. Kraków, Poland
* KunstenFestivalDesArts 2009. Brussels, Belgium
* Vienna Festival 2009. Vienna, Austria
* Mladi Levi International Festival 2009. Ljubljana, Slovenia
* New Drama Action Festival 2009. Vilnius, Lithuania
* Homo Novus Festival 2009. Riga, Latvia
* Festival de Keuze 2009. Rotterdamse Schouwburg, The Netherlands
* Europӓische Kulturtage 2010. Karlsruhe, Germany
* BITEF Festival 2010. Belgrade, Serbia
* Festival Bo:m 2011. Seoul, South Korea
* Santarcangelo Festival 2011. Santarcangelo, Italy
* F.I.N.D. 2013. Berlin, Germany
* National Theatre of Pécs 2014. Pécs, Hungary
* Transitions Central Europe Festival, Onassis Cultural Centre 2015. Athens, Greece
* Santiago a Mil International Theatre Festival 2017. Chile

**Awards**

* Best performance - 8th National Theatre Festival 2008. Pécs, Hungary
* Best actress: Lili Monori - 8th National Theatre Festival 2008. Pécs, Hungary
* Audience Award - 8th National Theatre Festival 2008. Pécs, Hungary
* Special Prize of BITEF - 44th BITEF Festival 2010. Belgrade, Serbia

### The Ice

The original staging of The Ice by Kornél Mundruczó is dated back to 2006, when it was a co-production between the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts and Krétakör Company. In 2008 the performance was revived with some new cast members at the National Theater of Budapest, where it was on the repertoire until 2013. Two years later the show was transferred to the Trafó again, this time under the umbrella of the Proton Theater.

| Director | Kornél Mundruczó |
| - | - |
| Premiere | 21 September 2006Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest • 26 September 2008National Theatre, Budapest • 2 June 2015Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest |
| Co-production with | KrétakörNational Theatre (Budapest)Trafó House of Contemporary Arts |
| Author | Vladimir Sorokin |

**Festival invitations**

* Festspillene i Bergen 2008. Bergen, Norway
* International Theatre Festival "Kontakt" 2009. Toruń, Poland
* MESS International Theatre Festival 2009. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Vienna Festival 2010. Vienna, Austria
* Texture Film and Theatre Festival 2010. Perm, Russia
* 19th International Festival Theatre 2011. Plzeň, Czech Republic
* HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts 2019. Dresden, Germany

**Awards**

* Best young creator: Kornél Mundruczó - XIX. Międzynarodowy International Theatre Festival "Kontakt" 2009. Toruń, Poland
* Silver Laurel Wreath Award for Best Performance in the Mittel Europa category - MESS International Theatre Festival 2009. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* The Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble - MESS International Theatre Festival 2009. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* The Avaz Dragon Award - MESS International Theatre Festival 2009. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Texture Name Prize - Texture Film and Theatre Festival 2010. Perm, Russia
