Anesz is an underage prostitute and mother, living in a schizophrenic society where norms and interests continuously contradict each other. She’s on the run with her few months old baby, to avoid being sent to the juvy, and her baby to be taken to foster care. This is the starting position of a drama dealing with social issues by Utcaszínházi Alkotóközösség or UtcaSZAK (Spec.Street).

The first part of the story is a report on extreme poverty, inherent with prostitution, drug abuse and learned helplessness. But Anesz defies her destiny. As the drama presents her and the baby’s more and more surreal adventures, it also opens up a broader meaning, but not just for herself, for us as well: We’re trapped in our very life, milieu and personality.

Are we able to change our defined fates, and if yes, why would we do it, or what would make us do it? Can it be expected from someone to change her/his personality all of a sudden?

The core of the play is based on interviews made with mothers earning a living as prostitutes. These interviews were recorded in small, disadvantaged villages of North-East Hungary by the author/dramaturge, Jutka Bari in 2014. The material was transformed into participatory theater in the affected communities - for example schools, foster care centers, youth detention centers - by UtcaSZAK, an association dedicated to find the place and role of performing arts in the life of society’s marginalized groups.

The Chorus of Multiply Disadvantaged Angels, an independent artistic performance is a dense essence of all the meetings, impulses, stories, desires, illusions UtcaSZAK came across during this two years period.

In order to make these impressions available to the English speaking community of Budapest as well, the play will be presented with English subtitles in MU Theater at 19.00 on the 16th and 17th of December. After the show the audience will have the opportunity to discuss the play and the issues concerned with the actors and the creators in English.

The thirty characters of the drama – including child protection workers, racists, politicians, school directors, doctors, Nancy Davis (a prostitute from Budapest, who was killed last year) and even Santa Claus – are played by seven actors. . The story is presented sometimes realistically, sometimes satirically and sometimes in a fantasy with music and circus-like elements.

The actors were trained for aerial silks performance by André Rolland. Lights and graphics were designed by Zsofia Mocsár. Music was composed by Atom Santi Bernáth. The director is Balazs Simon, the leader of UtcaSZAK, who was honored with the Active Citizenship Award in 2012 by the US Embassy for the “Theater for Everyone” project, bringing theater to the Roma youth of small villages.

Cast: Mara Dobra, Noémi Daróczi és Adrienn Tánczos, Ádám Boros, Tamás Rábavölgyi, Krisztián Simó and Balázs Várnai.

Recommended for age over 16.

The Chorus of Multiply Disadvantaged Angels
Dates and time: 16th & 17th of December, 2016, 19.00,
MU Theater
1117 Budapest, Kőrösy József u. 17.