 Good morning everyone or good afternoon depending on where you are in the world. My name is Rosa Maria Costich-Cisneros and I am collaborating with the Independent Theater Hungary. I'm very, very, very excited to sit down today with Franciszek Boloch who is the performer for the work the Roma from the Little Bed or Enter the Majority but also we have David or David Popovic who will be translating for us. Franciszek will be speaking in Slovak and David will be translating so we have a little bit of a three-way conversation here. However, we will have some time but if David also you want to add anything in case you do, feel free because you're also part of the conversation. So thank you so much for being here. If you could tell me a little bit Franciszek about who you are, where you are today yeah and just a little bit about your artistic practice. So Ferko, your first answer, you're going. Okay, so I'm called by the name Balok and I have been working as a violinist in the State Theatre in Switzerland since 2010. Before that I studied at the high school of music skills, violinism, where already during school I was able to visit many professional artists in Slovakia and abroad. Since I got to the Greek market in the Greek industry, I started to visit also in Slovakia series and in television films and in foreign productions and nowadays I am already a member of the Greek music industry in Košice, the German school. In the year 2006 I started watching the actor in Košice, where we make different projects, festivals and similarly I watched the actor. I think it was a success to watch in Slovakia and basically we are already starting to work together even abroad. And since our repertoire, we have about 11 ideas that are playing today, many of them already have more than 70 reprises, which we are looking forward to. And in 2021 we are in Košice, the Roman Institute, a few local Slovaks, who are focused on the development of Roman talents, including in Rome, as well as various workshops aimed at the art of football. And in the last 10 years, we are able to watch the art of football and the author's dramatic work. So my name is Frantisek Balok and I have been working as an actor at the State Theatre in the Košice since 2010. Previously I studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, acting, where I already had the opportunity to perform in various professional theatres in Slovakia and abroad during school. Since I got into the art world and the acting industry, I have also started guessing in Slovak series and feature films as well as in foreign productions. At present I also work as a teacher of acting in Košice at an art school. In 2016 I founded the actor theatre in Košice, where we realize various theatre projects, festivals and etc. Theatre actor has registered as a successful theatre in Slovakia and we are already starting to cooperate with foreign countries. In my repertoire I have about 11 performances that are still played today. Many of them also have more than 70 reruns. In 2021 we established the Roma Institute Paranokalo Slovakia in Košice, which focuses on the education of Roma talents. Roma inclusion, integrity, as well as workshop focused on artistic creation. For the last 10 years I have also been directing theatre productions and authors' dramatic works. Somehow already being realized in the theatre actor Košice and we are very happy. Congratulations, that's a lot of really wonderful things that you're doing at many levels with community, with institutions, with the broader arts sector. So lovely, it's really lovely to see. And I know in Slovakia there are different maybe social issues that we many people outside of Slovakia might be aware of or not aware of. So it's lovely that you're bringing attention to some of this work. Yes, congratulations. And so can you tell me a little bit about your connection to the Roma community and how, I mean, I know you have the organisation and you've created lots of theatre work. Can you tell me a little bit more about that relationship and connection? So since 2009 I have been working with the foundation Jivemaki or in English language Wild Poppies which specializes in educating Roma talent from socially disadvantaged families and settlements. They were also regular meetings in their homes. I worked with this foundation for five years. It was a beautiful time. Many of the children I was in charge of today are artists or engineers. Since we founded the Parno-Kalo-Slovakia Institute we have been focusing intensively on Roma culture. We take care of the children from Leningne settlement. We lead them artistically. We communicate with them on a daily basis. We create a space for them to self-realise within their talents. The residence is currently underway where we work as artistic instructors within the theatrical focus. That's wonderful. That's wonderful. And I love that you were working, as you said, working daily and also creating a space for people to come together and for the kids. And so that's really quite, I think, important, especially now. So lovely. That's lovely. And if you can now if we can go a little bit to the artistic work and if you could tell me a little bit about the Roma from the Little Bed or enter the majority. I mean if you could talk tell me a little bit about that piece, your role within the work. And yes, if over to you, Franciszek. A monodrama. Roma from a small bed is based on facts. Each scene is based on the actual event that happened to me. Nothing is made up. It is an authentic statement of the Roma. And maybe you can do the fourth one. Okay, so next. So, Roma from a small bed is an authentic monodrama with stories that I really enjoyed. These are stories from my childhood, from puberty, from my childhood, from my childhood, and it's about the situation between the child's home, from the arrival to the departure from the child's home. And these are the stories that would fit the majority. I met with various people, and basically, thanks to whom I became a priest, I became a priest, and that's how I found a completely different view of the world, of life and of myself. Monodrama is also about how I found out about myself, that I am Roma, about how I gradually learned about the Roma culture, and also about how I didn't know about the Roma at all, and also about how I met my mother through Skype. After 28 years, I have been able to communicate with the word, with the word, with the word, The Roma from a small bed is an authentic monodrama with stories that I really experienced. These are stories from my childhood and adulthood. These are situations from the environment of an orphanage, from arrival to departure from the orphanage. These are stories that seem to smuggle, smuggle me into the majority. I met different people, thanks to whom I got to know the world, I was educated, and so I gained a different view of the world, of life and of myself. It's also about finding out about myself, that I am Roma. It's about how I gradually got acquainted with the Roma culture. It's also about how I met my mom via Skype after 28 years. I will tell you all this with humor, irony, and great foresight. It's a lesson in life management, this is described by Roma from a small bed. And it's quite, I think it's a serious topic, and also very human, and I love that this is you know, of course it's quite intense, but it's also, I think we can all in some way relate to wanting to connect with someone, and having a story, and you tell the story so beautifully, and so honestly, and also a little bit from the child's perspective, which is which is really lovely. And so if we could, you were the performer in the work, and so would you say you're also a bit of the author of the project? My task was to write the whole text, make a dramaturgy for it, and then also direct it. So I wrote and played the whole monodrama. The process took three months. Okay, and can you in performing this very personal work that you've created, you've performed it, is there a memorable moment for you, either from the seeing the audience or any feedback or something for you personally that you remember that really stands out for you? An unforgettable moment for me is probably the scene where I met my mom. It's a strong moment, but it also contains humor. It will amuse the viewers, but it will also freeze. And is there something about the production that you want the audience to know or to remember? Yes. It is a comic monodrama of Roma, which told its stories from real events, seems to have smuggled. Into the majority. It is about reconciling with oneself. The strongest means of self-realization is motivation. If we work on ourselves, we will achieve success and recognition. And that's such a good message, I think, especially since you work with so many people, but with young Roma and Roma from various communities where there's lots maybe that the world has many obstacles and barriers that human rights might have been denied in some instances, but you're saying that also we have a responsibility to work on ourselves, and when we want to do something, it's possible. And I think that's such a powerful message. So it's really beautiful. It's really also hopeful. I think it's a lovely hopeful message. And my last question, is there anything else you want the people to know about the work? It's a perfect answer for those young people, because you don't have to stand up, but you have to work on yourself, as you said. Okay, so the last one is that Roma from the Roma community or the majority had a total of 70 reprises, and you can add that there are 77 reprises online and live. The protection, the monodrama, Roma from the little bed, had 77 reruns, and it's a great success. We had 70 reruns live and seven reruns online on the computer, because we had corona. Yes, I know. I know corona changed a lot, but that's fantastic. That's really lovely. And this now interview will sit part of the whole round work, which is in the U.S. So it just shows it's quite global, and all of the work you're doing is reaching many, many audiences. Thank you so much for sitting with me today. I'm really so grateful that I, you know, am able to learn from you, but also from the work. And it gives me hope to know of the work that you're doing also with the young people and with Roma in your community and in Slovakia. So thank you so much both. And thank you, David, for translating. Yes, thank you. Thank you so much.