In Finnish
Balint Barabas Szigeti is a theater maker from Hungary who completed the CDBR double degree programme (Comparative Dramaturgy and Performance Studies) at the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki and graduated with a Master of Arts in 2025. He is currently working as the director of Breaking_, a collaborative production between his artistic team and Teatteri Tuike. In this article, Szigeti shares the key turning points of his career.
Turning Point 1: “I never dreamed of a career in theater”
Szigeti grew up in Hungary with a mother who was an actress, but as a young person he shied away from the idea of theater as a profession. He began studying philosophy and aesthetics at university but quickly realized that academic studies were not for him. While he was fascinated by philosophy, he longed for something more practical.
At the age of 19, Szigeti took a gap year to travel around Europe. When he returned from hitchhiking, he no longer felt that the same reality suited him. He began working in theater and founded his own ensemble at the university, where he explored philosophy through practical experience.
Turning Point 2: “I was inspired by Grotowski – it combined philosophy and theater”
His interest in theater grew rapidly. He worked as an intern for a Hungarian theater director known for experimental work. Szigeti’s own theater group began to gain a foothold in Hungary’s independent and experimental theater scene.
At this time, he began developing a performance that later became the starting point of his current research. The piece philosophically explored silence in its various forms.
Szigeti explains that he started looking for opportunities to “get a paper for the strange thing I’m doing..” Soon he was accepted into a one-month residency at the Grotowski Institute, which opened doors to international collaboration and study.
Turning Point 3: “Master’s studies at the Theatre Academy brought me to Finland, where I’ve been fortunate”
Szigeti arrived in Finland in 2023 and quickly found people with whom collaboration felt fruitful. During his studies at the Theatre Academy, he focused on researching “nothing” – what happens when nothing happens.
Gradually, his research shifted toward relationality: the idea that being is always in relation to others. He explored this theme in his thesis performance Momo, which he describes as a kind of precursor to the current production Breaking_.
The Present: “A crazy attempt to be together amidst all of this”
Many members of the artistic team of Breaking_ have been working with Szigeti for several years. Szigeti deeply values the people he gets to work with. As a director, he holds power, which also brings responsibility. He wants everyone in the team to feel respected and to feel ownership of the performance.
“If those people are not there, then you are not there”, Szigeti notes.
The ongoing Breaking_ production brings reels videos from phone screens onto the stage. According to Szigeti, the performance is playful, fun, and fast-paced. It is aimed at young audiences from age 11, but it is not primarily educational. The director explains that the team’s goal is not to convey any truths, but to explore the phenomenon together.
Szigeti feels that he has found amazing people to work with, yet he does not know where the future will take him. He wants to continue working within a European context, but the exact location, country, or city is secondary to him.
Written by: Noora Kääriäinen
BREAKING_ SHOWTIMES:TICKETS
Sat 28.3. at 6 pm
Sun 29.3. at 3 pm
Age suggestion 11+
The performance includes Finnish and English, but the story doesn’t need words.
Duration: max 90 min, no intermission
Tickets: 17,50
