Tightrope Walker Stuns by Crossing Over the Danube

László Simet Jr. walked across a wire 40 meters above the Danube without safety measures, on the stretch of the river between the Elisabeth and Liberty bridges. Between Pest and Buda he walked 300 meters.

“The fact that I can do it in my hometown, Budapest, is a great feeling, a great honor. No matter how many places I have been in the world, no matter where I have worked… this will be the crowning glory of my career,” said artist László Simet Jr.

The unique production is part of the opening event of the 10th International Theater Olympics and joins the World Circus Day and the 150th anniversary of Budapest.

The opening event of the 10th International Theater Olympics started in Budapest on Saturday, with a number of programs, artist productions, concerts and street theater performances in several venues.

On the banks of the Danube, at the National Theater, the event’s flag was raised. At the ceremony, the artistic director of the event, the theater’s CEO, said that the 10th International Theater Olympics would now begin as a result of four years of preparatory work.

“My dream and the dream of many of us is now coming true”, said the Director of the National Theater, Attila Vidnyánszky.
In his speech, he thanked all those who helped to make the event possible: the Organizing Committee of the Theater Olympics for winning the right to hold the event, the Government for its support and the Prime Minister himself for his help. He said that, as partners, more than 100 institutions are working together to make this dream a reality. He stressed that their aim was to ensure that the event was not just a celebration of a narrow theater elite.

The 10th International Theater Olympics will bring together 400 companies from 58 countries, 750 productions and 7,500 performers. The programs will take place in almost 100 venues across the country until 1 July.
Special performances, theater, dance, puppetry, children’s and youth festivals, amateur and student theater gatherings, exhibitions and professional programs will take place across the country. There will be performances from Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, and productions by companies from the Republic of South Africa, China, Japan and Mexico.
More than 20 festivals have joined the Olympics, including this year’s jubilee VéNégy Festival, the Győr National Theater’s Danube Festival, the Karinthy Theater’s Storytelling Festival and the IX Madách International Theater Meeting (MITEM), organized by the National Theater, which is the central event of the Olympics.

Via MTI, Hirado.hu, Featured Photo: MTI