Göndör László – Katona Éva: Living the Dream with Grandma

“- How important is feedback in your life? 
– I do my job, and if it’s something, they’ll notice. 
– And if they don’t? 
– Well, yes, and if they don’t. Now, give me that gingerbread.”

Living the Dream with Grandma is a playful and poignant one-man show about processing third-generation trauma. This unique documentary theatre piece takes place over a month, in the midst of the pandemic lockdown in Budapest, Hungary. Suffering from an identity crisis, 35-year-old author László Göndör decides to move in with his 97-year-old grandmother, Éva Katona. Over the course of 32 days, grandmother and grandson strive to understand each other’s pain and trauma, as well as their profound mutual love. Their conversations are re-enacted through archival footage of their cohabitation, revealing the deep impact of the Holocaust and related traumas on their relationship to themselves and each other. The production is a fragile duet of human beings: every performance is a moment when they can be together – again and for the last time.

“In the midst of the quarantine, I decided to move in with my grandmother. She is 97, I am 35. I wanted to meet the adored and idealized woman, to face our relationship and through it, ultimately, myself. During our days together, Grandma’s apartment gradually turned into the stage for an unusual party: delicacies and fine champagne popped out of nowhere, expensive jewelry appeared here and there, the singing of a mysterious man could be heard from afar, the Virgin Mary shone on the shelf next to Lenin, the first snow fell, crows flew outside and, for some reason, we wore fairy masks”. 

László Göndör – Performer, Director, Playwright, Concept 
Éva Katona – Performer 
Kornél Laboda – Co-director, Playwright, Concept 
Zsófi Bódi – Dramaturge, Playwright, Concept 
Alexandra Láng – Audio and Video Editor, Concept 
Lili Olga Horváth – Psychologist Consultant, Concept
Márk Bartha – Sound Designer 
Gabriella Csoma – Set and Costume Designer 
Bence Somoskövi & Bence Kovács- Vajda – Sound Masters 
Máté Bredán – Light Designer 
Ákos “Papa” Lengyel – Technician 
Máté Bartha – Documentary Materials, External Consultant 
Tamás Ördög – External Consultant 
Zsuzsi Szakács – Production Assistant 
Dániel Mayer – Production Manager 
Andrea Ausztrics – Creative Producer
Brigitta Varga – Tour Manager

Special thanks to Ádám Fekete, Tamás Turai, Dániel Daoud, Rozi Szeleczki, Leta Popescu, Péter Hajmási, Zoltán Ásmány, Nelli Orbán, Katalin Farkas, Zsuzsa Bánkuti, Ómama Antikvitás

The production was realized within the framework of the Staféta Program established and supported by the Municipality of Budapest.
Co-production partner: Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Orlai Production Office, Marom Budapest – Jewish Culture 2028
Production partner: Magnum Production

“The production Living the Dream with Grandma is a portrait of a woman who survived the Shoah and believed in the ideals of communism. It is also a reflection on how trauma is transmitted between generations and how to talk about the Shoah in art today. It is also a story about the fragility of human being, about the relationships between grandchildren and grandparents, about family customs and humour, about the quest for one’s identity as an adult vis-à-vis the image of oneself as a child in the eyes of a grandparent, about the history of (including our) geopolitical space and its pars pro toto imprint in the life of a strong woman. The production Living the Dream with Grandma is also about many other matters, and this is what is special about this subtle, amusing and moving production.”

(Martina Vannayová, theater critic International Theatre Festival Divadelna Nitra 2022)

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

2023 Szemle Plusz Award for the best independent theatre performance 
2022 Winner of Péter Halász Award for the best innovative theatre performance in Hungary
2022 Nomination for the Best Independent Performance Award by the Guild of Theatre Critics, Hungary
2021 Winner of Staféta Audience Award for the best independent theater show of 2019-2022 in Hungary

Upcoming shows:
1-2 October 2024 – Trafó, Budapest, Hungary
12 October 2024 – Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany
28 December 2024 – Bálint Ház, Budapest, Hungary

Previous tour dates:
22 March 2024 – Dresden, Germany, HELLERAU
11 May 2024 – Five Churches Festival, Győr, Hungary 
22-23 May 2024 – Paris Globe Festival, Paris, France
2 June 2024 – Sofia, Bulgaria
4 June 2024 – Viafest in Varna, Bulgaria