kultura.hu / August 30, 2024
Eszter Balla, Erzsébet Ecsedi and Ildiko Tóth were nominated for the Attila Kaszás award this year. In the audience vote, most people considered Eszter Balla, the theater artist of the 6SZÍN troupe, worthy of recognition. The award was presented by Balázs Hankó, the minister responsible for culture and innovation, on August 30, as part of the 2024 National Theater Season Opening at the National Theater in Szeged.
Eszter Balla is this year’s Attila Kaszás awardee. Photo: Norbert Hartyányi
In 2024, a total of 33 companies nominated a member of the Attila Kaszás Awardra, and then the candidates selected the three actors from among themselves in a secret vote who advanced to the public vote. This year, Eszterre Balla from the 6SZÍN troupe, Erzsébet Eccedire, for the candidate of the Soltis Lajos Theater in Celldömölk, as well as Ildiko Tóthra, the member of the Radnót Theater, the general public could cast their vote.
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Most people voted for Eszter Balla, so she could receive the Attila Kaszás award this year. In her previous interview with our newspaper, the artist modestly wished that the awardee would be chosen from among her two female colleagues, because she loves and holds them both in high esteem.
The actress said about the award: „I thank my family for letting me be a little kid in the evenings, because it’s hard to be an adult these days” . In his previous interview with Kultúra.hu, he also told about how Attila Kaszás was still a Lunar boatmanin the National Theater together, and four days after his death the scheduled performance was not missed, but his songs were submitted from a recording.
„We played as if he was no longer with them, but he was still present. It was the most special theater evening of my life. I can’t even find words for how it felt to sing a duet with him on stage, but without him” – revived it.
The award was presented by Balázs Hankó, the minister responsible for culture and innovation. „Without acting, there is no Hungarian culture, and without culture, our national identity would be lost,” he said at the award ceremony. The Minister of Culture and Innovation added: “Attila Kaszás – like other prominent figures in the theater – stood out not only for his talent and versatility, but also took on an exemplary role in community building. The theater is a special place, we carry the experiences we have here with us for a lifetime, each memorable performance shapes generations.” According to the head of department, what makes the award exceptional is that it embodies the love of colleagues, the profession and the public at the same time.
Minister responsible for culture and innovation Balázs Hankó with Eszter Balla at the award ceremony. Photo: Norbert Hartyányi
„The Attila Kaszás Award reflects the recognition of both the public and the profession, so everyone can be proud of the nomination itself. If the profession has self-respect, attitude, and internal culture, then this award can work for a long time” – said Zoltán Pokorni, mayor of the 12th district, one of the founders of the Attila Kaszás Award, at the award ceremony.
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„The theater is a wonderful little machine with its own specific laws, customs, and culture, like a small country, maybe even with its own climate. This country is populated and made unique by actors, theater workers and, of course, the audience. We are a community, bearers of destiny, who are responsible for each other not only in the evenings, but also in the countless minutes when we depend on each other and exist in this small country. I am thinking of Attila Kaszás, who played such an important role in the operation of this machine, for whom it was so important to shape the people of this country into a community, who, in addition to earning the respect of his peers and the audience with his acting, talent and dedicated work, was also always present to his peers as a human being. in his life. In fact, it is because of him that we are here now, so that in retrospect we can thank him for drawing attention to the importance of theater as a community” – said at the festive event, Dr. Gábor Bakos-Kiss, vice president of the Hungarian Theater Society.
The Attila Kaszás Award, in addition to the professional and human recognition of actors acting in the Hungarian language, also serves to nurture the intellectual legacy of the actor Attila Kaszás, since the actor, who died young, always took a serious role in shaping his troupes into a community.
The Attila Kaszás Prize, founded in 2008 by the Hegyvidéki Self-Government and the Mozaik Arts Association, is open to all Hungarian-language actors and theater companies. So far, a foreign actor can receive the award five times. In addition to its ideological value, the award also comes with financial appreciation courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation and Raiffeisen Bank, which supports the recognition.
The Attila Kaszás Prize was realized with the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, the Hegyvidéki Local Government, the Hungarian Theater Society, the Mozaik Art Society, the MASZK Actors’ Association, the Petőfi Cultural Agency (PKÜ) and Raiffeisen Bank.
In previous years, József Szarvas, Levente Nemes, László Mátray, Zoltán Mucsi, Barna Kelemen Bányai, Tamás Borovics, Alfréd Nagy, Tibor Mészáros, Zoltán Schneider, Csaba Krisztik, Zsolt Csongor Nagy, Ákos Orosz, Tamás Földes, András Rusznák, Harsányi Attila and Zoltán Csankó took over.
This year’s awardee
Eszter Balla’s career began with feature films, main stage musical roles, alternative theater workshops and important encounters with the legendary Csiky Gergely Theater in Kaposvár. Many people may know the Control about the musical and comedy roles she played in the Madách Theatre, but she gives impressive performances in all genres. To the 6SZÍN team The secret of a long life became an important member with the contemporary show. He played, among others, at the Új Színház, the József Katona National Theater in Kecskemét, and was a permanent member of the Madách Theater in Budapest and the Déryné Vándorszíntársúlat. From 2024, she is an actress at the Central Theatre.
