Blood Hygiene and discussion with Pál Závada in Hungary
The performance Blood hygiene was presented with Hungarian subtitles translated by Milada Boráros in a sold-out auditorium of Griff Bábszínház (project partner). After the performance, a discussion took place in which the director of Griff Theatre, István Szűcs, spoke with sociologist and writer Pál Závada and director Pavla Dombrovská. The translation into Czech was provided by visual artist Szilárd Boráros.
Pál Závada (*December 14, 1954, Tótkomlós) is a Hungarian writer and sociologist. His works are set in Slovak villages in southeastern Hungary, where he himself comes from. His most acclaimed novel to date is Jadviga’s Pillow, which depicts the fate of a declining rural Hungarian family through three layers of diary entries. The book has been translated into Czech and Slovak and has also been adapted into a film.
Reaction to the performance and discussion: / News portal ZAOL – Are they in the minority?
Translation of the article from the link above (original text in Hungarian)
“In post-performance discussions, we address urgent contemporary issues,” states the website of Divadlo Líšeň. The Czech puppet theatre, which also deals with the topic of the Holocaust, presented its production Blood Hygiene on the evening of March 4 at the Griff Puppet Theatre in Zalaegerszeg. The performance was followed by a discussion in which Griff Theatre director István Szűcs spoke with sociologist and writer Pál Závada and director Pavla Dombrovská.
The play about the value of human life was created on the basis of testimonies of Holocaust survivors, historical documents, texts by Nazi leaders (Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Rudolf Höss), works by Viktor E. Frankl, Anne Frank, as well as texts from contemporary neo-Nazi websites.
In a confined space illuminated by spotlights, the central element was a prepared structure made from a construction wheelbarrow that continually transformed—at times representing a small interior, at others a platform, the body of a dictator, or a gas chamber. The puppeteers appeared only at the end of the disturbing performance, when they set aside the animal puppets from the opening scene (a stork, a titmouse, a mouse) and themselves embodied these animals, which thus became eerily human and contemporary. These animals are mentioned in Mein Kampf as symbols of racial purity (“Titmouse with titmouse, field mouse with field mouse, stork with stork.”).
In the completely full auditorium of the Griff Theatre, no one even coughed—audiences watched the Czech puppeteers’ performance in absolute silence. At first, few believed that something terrible would happen; then the whole world of the Holocaust watched silently; later it vowed “never again”—and today neo-Nazi ideologies are once again gaining ground.
The performance, which premiered in 2015, introduced unconventional puppet techniques, but it certainly did not entertain anyone.
And even less so did what was said during the subsequent discussion. With interpretation by puppeteer Szilárd Boráros, Griff director István Szűcs asked Pavla Dombrovská and Pál Závada whether murderous ideologies have truly been overcome. The unequivocal answer—“no”—pointed to the responsibility of each individual.
Holocaust today?
Not only the nations of Eastern Europe, but the entire continent has recently been facing questions of coexistence among different religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. The pressure on Europe requires adequate responses primarily from political leaders, not from ordinary people—if such answers exist at all.
During the discussion, Pál Závada attempted to find optimistic scenarios, but it was not easy. Uniting completely different ways of life is an enormous task that requires calm, patience, and education—qualities that often weaken power structures. Finding scapegoats is more advantageous. Závada also pointed out that any nation, in pursuit of its own interests, is capable of excluding other groups if it perceives them as a threat to its security—especially when systematically encouraged to do so.
Pavla Dombrovská stated that neo-Nazi ideologies are present in the Czech Republic as well as in nearly all neighboring countries. Her theatre ensemble fights this through its own artistic means, because it feels it cannot remain silent.
The core message of the production is based on the words of Viktor E. Frankl:
“There are only two races of people: decent people and indecent people. Decent people are in the minority, always have been and always will be. Danger arises when a political system allows indecent people to gain power. And no nation is protected from that. In this sense, every nation is potentially capable of a Holocaust.”
The performance was presented in Czech with Hungarian subtitles.
In 2023, Divadlo Líšeň took part in the World Meeting of Puppeteers within the framework of the 10th Theatre Olympics in Pécs.
The Brno-Líšeň district, which gave the ensemble its name, has been part of Brno since 1944. It is home to more than 26,000 inhabitants, and tractors of the Zetor brand are manufactured in the local factory.
Provocative Theatre in the Visegrád Region
Hygiene of Blood – a frightening cabaret dealing with methods of “improving” the human race. Testimonies of murderers and victims take shape on stage through a series of metal puppets, scrap iron, and barbed wire.
Directed by Pavla Dombrovská; dramaturgical collaboration: Kateřina Slámová Bartošová; puppets and set design: Luděk Vémola, Iveta Kalousková; music: Tomáš Vtípil; lighting design and projections: Tomáš Tušer.
The project is co-financed by the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia through the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the Fund is to promote sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
News portal ZAOL
