The Stadium as a Stage and its Undergrounds
Szabolcs KissPál and Richárd Melykó
Lecture Performance
Su., 23.6.2024
16:00–18:00
Haunani-Kay Trask Hall
Free entry
In English
Throughout the 105 minutes of this performance comprising two half times and a break, a mixture of formats are used, including an academic lecture with Brechtian elements, performative commentaries, interactions with the public, collective gaming, and more. The narrative of the performance takes the audience on a journey through a football game; from the sun-hit heights of the stadium terraces to invading the pitch and submerging down beneath the surface of the turf to the dark underworlds lying below the playing field. Departing from archeological findings about the Mayan civilization, among them various objects used for sport, the narrative journey leads viewers through an analysis of sociopolitical manifestations on the field by both players and fans. These include advocating for human rights, addressing sexism and racism, reclaiming civil liberties, and geopolitical entanglements, all in the midst of concentrated media attention, where the smallest gestures are hyper magnified and broadcast to hundreds of millions of screens. The overall narrative examines how the cultural and social drama generated by conflicting ideologies and beliefs unfolds as a background spectacle of the games.