Presenting our performances to public is usually preceded by nearly a year long preparation. 

Ephemer Works is, however, a performance that is born within a single day.

The performing artists of Artus create a unique, unrepeatable one-off performance-event during a single day of intensive rehearsal, centered around a specific theme for the night. Thus, each Ephemer Works is a premiere and a final appearance, a first and last show at the same time. Anything happening in the course of each event will never be seen in that very form ever again. 

Each and every event of the Ephemer Works series is a unique, out-of-the-ordinary, unpredictable and exciting encounter for both the artists and the audience. No stage. No auditorium.  While the public and the artists are chatting freely at the tables, just like in a café, different visual, musical, and theatre actions continually take place around them.

The most fitting term to describe this indescribable genre could be a „contemporary variety play” or „performance-pub series.”

Every single Ephemer Works is a full-length, individual, complete creation that nevertheless points beyond itself, as it is always thematically closely linked to the creation of the upcoming larger-scale production of Artus, which requires longer preparation. Hereby, the creativity and genuine, unconventional responses to the issues raised by the main theme of each Ephemer Works, inspire, ground and continuously build the next Artus production to be born.

Among the latest productions that came to life this way belong Ulysses Living Room, 1+1=1, SUTRA, Drip Canon, Swarm, and The Gate of the Wind.

The Ephemer Works action series debuted in 2010, and had gone past its 50th edition as of today.

Artus studio often invites guest artists to take part in the creation of one of the Ephemer Works episodes. Besides the genres of theatre and dance, there are regularly visual artists, musicians, intermedia artists, filmmakers,programmers, and occasionally Hungarian or foreign companies joining the creative work process. 

Every participant is a creator.

Every creator/performer prepares a concept of his/her own action, based on the central theme, idea, or quote appointed by the director, which he/she presents to the company on the day of the performance, in the morning. 

Each participant can bring two different action-concepts, however, only one of these will be chosen by the director and performed in the evening.

The individual actions are developed, designed, created, filmed, built, rehearsed etc. throughout the day. Parallel to the theatre actions, the musicians create and compose the music for the night, including the music for each of the scenes to be presented. Every single element of the particular action is thoroughly and precisely planned, and deliberately thought out.

During the day, the director takes all the ideas into consideration, plans the usage of the stage accordingly, as well as makes up the dramaturgy framework of the whole event, and composes a unified system of the individually prepared actions and their elements, which he can later modify and make any changes necessary, in order to strengthen their connectedness.

The performance plan thought out in this way, is then shared and discussed with the participants before the show, and modified, or adjusted if necessary.

There is no rehearsal, the performance happens only once, done for real, live.

Even during the performance, there can be changes, which are determined by the presence and attention of the audience, their current mood, and the inner laws of the artwork itself that is in the process of being born.

The spontaneity and deliberate profoundness are paradoxically taking effect at the same time.

balance of individual and team work

collaboration

square and clear communication

patience and intensity

flexibility, readiness and openness to changes, modifications

simplicity, brevity, high visual quality, musicality, clear gestures

no genre limits

no classical theatre scenes, or choreographies: actions comprising the „brevity    of phenomenon” 

free usage of the space, including the whole area of the studio (even outdoors)

focused presence, attention and alertness throughout the day