The Great Hungarian Silence in (Czecho)Slovakia

A monodrama with humour

Written by: László Soóky
Directed and performed by: Géza Benkő
Dramaturg: Emese Varga

poster

„This story tells us about the small details of the minority life that we think are not important. Our forefathers experienced them, we experience them every day, and yet we think our story is not important to anybody. But what is important and what isn’t is decided by important people who declare it in glorifying speeches. We have the silence, faith and cheer that are rooted in our humanity and decency. This is what we will bequeath on this land when our language can be read only on our epitaphs.”

(László Soóky, translation by NAHC)

Locations

  • Saturday, April 1 – Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre, Ottawa
  • Sunday, April 2 – First Presbyterian Church, Montréal
  • Friday, April 7 – Parameter Club, Toronto
  • Saturday, April 8 – Kossuth Hall, Cambridge
  • Sunday, April 9 – Mindszenty Hall, Windsor
KMOSZ címer The Canadian tour is organized by the NAHC. Ottawa – Montréal – Toronto – Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo – Windsor

About the Play

jelenetThe Great Hungarian Silence in (Czecho)Slovakia is a monodrama that is not about the life of a man but about a community. The story of the Hungarian community in Slovakia is told through the life of a person with a perspective in history. It is like a modern tale: once upon a time comrade Stalin died, then so did comrade Gottwald too… – as the author sets the historical time frame, he is jumping freely between the time zones overlapping the minority life in Slovakia; a close-up look at one man.

The world is reflected in his eyes; a period of history is replayed in his mind, not facts and statistics but the perceived and real tragedies, memories, stories from the past. And the rest is silence…

Trailer Interview

The play made its debut on February 27, 2016, in Komárom, at the Officers’ Hall and it was a great success.

About the Actor

Géza Benkő
Géza Benkő
Géza Benkő grew up in Királyhelmec, Felvidék (part of Slovakia). He started his career at the Thalia theatre in Kassa followed by the Jókai theatre at Komárom where he worked as a stage manager. Soon he started his studies at the College of Arts and Drama at Pozsony where received his degree. His first assignment as an actor was at the City Theatre at Nagyszombat followed by the Jókai theatre. He also worked as an actor in Győr, Dublin, Ireland, and currently at the Thalia theatre in Kassa. His repertoire involves 33 major stage roles and 17 roles in films. The Great Hungarian Silence in (Czecho)Slovakia is his debut performance as a director.