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 and Dóra Büki. 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 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, Frankenstein-project, Hard to be a God, Disgrace, Dementia, Winterreise, and Imitation of life – they wish to provide space for the realisation of the company members’ ideas. In this spirit, the following performances were created: Last, directed by Roland Rába, 1 link, 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 100 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

Finding Quincy

Imitation of life

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Premiere3 October 2015Budapest Music Center
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Premiere15 October 2007Bárka Theatre, Budapest
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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.
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Premiere21 September 2006Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest26 September 2008National Theatre, Budapest2 June 2015Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Budapest
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