 Hello everyone, welcome. My name is Rosa Maria Costich-Disneros and I am collaborating with the Independent Theatre Hungary. I am sitting down today with Fekete Jolt and Kata Ola, who will be translating for us. Thank you so much both for sitting down with me, with us, the Independent Theatre Hungary, and for all of our viewers out there. We're going to speak about Perkutsigo, excuse me. But before we get into that work, I'd like to know a little bit about Fekete. If you could tell me who you are, a little bit about your background. Yeah, that'd be great. Thank you. Okay, thank you. I will speak now a little bit in English, but if it's not working, then Kata is helping. My name is Fekete Jolt, Shandor. I'm from Transylvania, from St. George, the city. I'm an actor in Tomasci Iron Theatre. And I'm a Romanian secular Hungarian and Gypsy human. I have four identities and I am one of the creators of Perkutsigo. And I love searching Roman ethnic peoples to work with them. I like very much to play music. I'm a Perkussionist. Perkutsigo is Perkussion and Tigo, meaning that Gypsy or Roma, Perkutsigo. And it's very interesting because this individual theatric show, it's somehow how to say I am Perkutsigo. This is my movement, the rhythm. Yes, I'm the Perkussigo. Yes, fantastic. And so, did you write the play? Were you just the actor? No, I'm just an actor. The writer is a professional theatrical playwriter whose name is C.K. Csaba. And I think I can say that Csaba, Kata and me, we are create this Perkutsigo theatrical show. Yes. And when the play was written, were you part of that process of talking with the writer? Or did you come in only a little bit later as an actor? No, it was this performance, this project, it was I think maybe four years ago. And it starts that I feel that I have to do something with this thing, with this racist, racist, human rights and this typical, stereotypical things that happened here in my town in Örkö. Örkö is a very little Roma community. And I feel that I have to do something for these people. And then I was looking for a playwriter and I catch C.K. Csaba. And we talk about lots of meetings we have, do it about my life, true situation about my life. And after that, he writes this playwright. And the work, is it your life only or are you also thinking about other situations or other, you said racism, so are you talking about like anti-egypsyism and these realities? Yes, because this project, it was about a fight, it was about the fact that you had to be in the whole of the city, you had to be in the whole of the city, so that it was really about who to live and then what came into it, other narratives or stories. So the whole project of Per Kutsigo was created for an application and the grant line had a condition to create an artwork which is tackling the issue of Roma people, the issue of discrimination inside healthcare facilities as hospitals or any kind of medical centers where Roma may face discrimination and this is how other narratives also came into context. Okay, so there's also a direct link with issues that affect the Roma community as well as you individually, so there's kind of the personal as well as the community. Okay, okay and when you were creating the work or acting in the work, is there something that you kind of, is there a memory that maybe you can talk about in the process of creating the work that comes to mind? It was exciting to recall all the situations what I was facing as a gypsy, as a Roma person while I felt excluded and I felt rejected because of the colour of my skin, because of my ethnicity, so these discussions with the Choba, with the playwriter were exciting. And that process that you were going through of remembering and reflecting is emotional as you've said and so you've also said that you were thinking about or drawing on other people's experiences like with healthcare and those realities. When people watch the show, was there any feedback? Did people share any comments or feelings or any thoughts about watching you in the work? Well, it was quite emotional, this whole process, the reflection and the fact that you received any feedback or commented on the community. Well, yes, well, let's put it this way, then, that in some way this 40-minute discussion is about the fact that there is a sense of humour in it, but what is very important is that after the discussion there is a very important conversation that tries to try to talk to the community. So a conversation where these feedbacks or feedbacks can be talked about, what do they think about certain stereotypes. So I think it's the occasion to tell that the whole spectacle, the whole play, has a 40-minute duration and it is built on humour also, but after the show itself, a very important moment is coming and it is a discussion with the audience which is very important for us because in this discussion are shared the feedbacks and the comments of the audience regarding all the limitations or all the stereotypes they have been experiencing during the show itself. And in that discussion, was there something that surprised you that someone said or something that may be another, I don't know, were there Roma people in the audience, or was it mainly non-Roma or Mix? So after a while this play was very much shown to Roma communities and in this way a fully new context is created and different sentiments, emotions and focuses are tackled. Yes. Yes, but there were some difficulties. Well, there were some reactions or talks during the conversation, things that were released, such as security, that there was no, at first, a machine-made Vita machine. So there were, of course, mixed audiences, having Roma spectators also, but there were not such reactions which were outrageous or any kind of dispute which was loud. These were mainly, I believe, constructive discussions regarding the topic. That must feel quite satisfying and quite, yeah, I don't know, proud to know that a work that you, you know, worked with the writer from yourself, from your personal experiences, you are the actor, you share that, and then you facilitate a conversation that, you know, that is also educating people and helping them to reflect that must feel quite good, I think, I would imagine, yes. And in that, you know, when you think about the work and the audience, is there a message that you have for people, for audiences, what would you like audiences to know about the work? What's the key message, do you think? What is the message, what is the cultural message that you would like to share with the audience? Well, it has changed for a few years now, but now, in a word, it seems that we are trying to get together, hello, I'm here. Hello. Yes, yes. Something came in, that everyone has special attempts at life, that we are going to get together. This is all important now, I think, in the times we live in. So the message was changing during these four years. I was playing the show. But if I should conclude in one sentence, I would say that somehow we should gather the power to face all these obstacles and all these exams we have to pass as humans today. And somehow to create the sense of cooperation, because I believe this is the most important in these times we live to join and cooperate. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. And I think we started the conversation with you talking about the title of it, so the percussion, but also you and that kind of coming together and mix. And can you talk a little bit about the rhythm or how percussion is used in the work and why that felt important to you and the writer to kind of build on that? Well, which some kind, the stories and the feelings, it's very important that in the park, I want to play it with the drum. For me it's very interesting to play with the drum my shame when I was in the past. It was a situation and I was in shame. And for me it's very interesting not to just say it, to play with rhythms, the feelings. Yes, yes. And I think we all have this innate ability to connect to rhythm and to music because there's so much rhythm inside of our bodies and the nature in the world. And somehow modern society we're losing that or not maybe as connected or as in touch with this rhythm and these percussions. So it's lovely that you're using the drums to kind of tell the story and go through this past, but also send a message for the future. It's quite lovely. Yes. Is there anything else you'd like to share about the work or that feels important to you to discuss? Yes, I want to actualize it, because I have lots of new ideas to create something very special with artistic elements. To build, because I have lots of, now I have lots of problems with educational here in Transylvania, in Romania, or we can say in Hungary, we have lots of problems with educational narratives and things. And somehow I want to do a project to use lots of good artist peoples and create something to test a new educational form to reach the people. And is that using perkutsigo as in the drums and the rhythm or is it slightly different? Yes, using music, rhythm and using art, paintings or lots of art segments, forms, yes. Yes. Oh, lovely. That sounds like a really something we need, especially since we've spent so much time as individuals, you know, we can come together in these ways and that feels quite important. Well, thank you so much, Fekete, for sitting down with me and sharing, you know, this background and this framework for the work. Thank you, Kata, as well for for being part of this conversation and for supporting it. Thank you both so much. Thank you.