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Árpád Schilling |
Schilling, who heads Hungary's Krétakör troupe, which has made an indelible mark on the country's theatre scene, said the production was an "enormous challenge". He approached the task with the hope that he could not only bring his own ideas to the piece, but also learn from the students. "And that is just what happened," he said.
Urban Rabbits is built on movement and acrobatics, but also tells a story, putting it among acts moving the circus arts in a new direction, acts such as those that can be seen in Canada's Cirque du Soleil.
Schilling wanted to show exactly what the 16 young circus artists were capable of, so he started the three-month rehearsal period with long, personal talks with them about the world of the circus, the school and their relationships. In September, the group spent ten days in Budapest, where they took on the role of street performers.
The idea for Urban Rabbits was born of the fact that the class - with twelve men and just four women --- was impressed with a male dominance. Schilling said he worked hard to prevent the women from imitating a strong male presence, as this would have shown a rather boring picture.
Urban Rabbits can be seen in Paris until February 14. In the spring, the class will take the piece on tour to Malta, Italy and Romania. It can be seen at the Capital Circus in Budapest on June 19-27, in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, on July 9-11, and in Pécs, a 2010 European Capital of Culture, on July 23-25.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / Photo: Dániel Kováts
