ZOLTÁN BALÁZS, artistic director
Zoltán BALÁZS is an actor, director, set designer, and theater director. In 2001, he founded the avant-garde Maladype Theatre, an ensemble that quickly gained international acclaim and recognition, wherehe continues to serve as artistic director. Over the past two decades, this groundbreaking company has become one of Budapest’s most prestigious theatrical and cultural institutions, regularly appearing at international festivals across Africa, America, Asia, and Europe.
Balázs is a sought-after director worldwide, having staged productions in the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Kosovo, Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Romania’s dynamic theater scene. His work as both an actor and director has been recognized with numerous professional and state awards, including the Comet Award, the Critics’ Award, the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, the Gábor Miklós Award, the Lajos Őze Award, the Mari Jászai Award, the Kálmán Nádasdy Award, the Sándor Hevesi Award, the Hanna Honthy Award, and the MESS Festival’s Golden Mask Award.
Balázs’ theatrical approach is deeply conceptual and method-driven, spanning various genres and styles. He has successfully directed classical and contemporary works, adapted novels and epics, staged dramas, comedies, operas, operettas, musicals, dance performances, puppet shows, performances, non-verbal and movement-based theater, and even rock concerts. His productions, inspired by diverse cultures and theatrical traditions, consistently receive critical and audience acclaim both in Hungary and abroad. His artistic work is characterized by intellectual freedom, experimentation, and a pioneering spirit.