Thomas Köck
“In memory of all
the unfulfilled expectations,
broken promises, and
shattered hopes of history.”
— Thomas Köck: Beyond Fukuyma
(translated by Zoltán Halasi)
About the Play
Beyond Fukuyama is a theatrical oratorio created using live film techniques, leading us into a dystopian world through provocative visuals, montages, unique technical solutions, and an eclectic musical score. Within the context of populism, illiberal democracies, and the illusions of a disintegrating Western European society, we question our faith in progress. The performance was produced in collaboration with Trafó House of Contemporary Arts.
According to Francis Fukuyama, with liberal democracy, we have reached the end of history and the pinnacle of development. Do you think we have arrived at the best of all possible worlds? Or have the power structures merely rearranged themselves around us? We are bringing the raw reality of 2026 to the stage.
During the performance, you will also gain insight into our production process, where the editing desk and our crew are not hidden in the background but create the final live film right before your eyes. From nine different camera angles, you can watch as our cinematographers and actors execute a pin-point choreography live, without a safety net.
The intelligent foil mounted on our front wall at times opens a window onto the scenes unfolding behind it, and at other times bombs our senses with AI-generated visual shock, while on stage, the Politically Resentful Orchestra of the Liberal Establishment’s Setback (P.R.O.L.E.S.) echo their despair in revolt.
Thomas Köck’s work is a satirical vision, distorted into a documentary performance by Hungarian reality.
Synopsis
We are in the third millennium after Christ. History has ended, and its place has been taken by the sterile reality of the Institute for Happiness and Future Research. In this “post-historic” world, ideologies have been replaced by efficient algorithms and statistical indicators, where the soul is merely an obsolete product of the imagination. Happiness is no longer a subjective desire or fulfillment, but a compound portioned on a pharmacist's scale: a synthetic blend of dopamine and oxytocin.
At the center of the story stands Peer—becoming a "shhead"—who, as an ambitious intern, fights for the assistant position of the institute's director, Dr. Schnitt. While he unscrupulously tramples over his rivals in the name of career and survival, Peer’s internal voices—the Politically Resentful Orchestra of the Liberal Establishment’s Setback (P.R.O.L.E.S.)—shout the total disintegration of liberal illusions and moral integrity. Peer finally loses himself in the dark paranoia behind the institutionalized “keep smiling” facade.
Following a deliberate data leak, the system collapses, forcing Peer and Dr. Schnitt into the hermetically sealed “fear lab.” As the building is besieged from the outside by the rebel army of the "P.R.O.L.E.S.", those trapped inside are forced to face the weight of their actions, the shattered hopes of the '90s, and the inevitable, violent return of history amidst thinning air and the darkness of paranoia.
Creators
Crew
Writer:
Translator:
Director & Editor: Cinematographers:
Script:
Composers:
Director of Photography: Technician:
Video Artist:
Visual Designer:
Sound Engineer:
Lighting Technicians:
Production Manager:
Thomas Köck
Zoltán Halasi
Dániel Máté Sándor
Soma Varga
Lázár Todoroff
Adrian Samudovszky
Dániel Máté Sándor
Mihály Bánki
Zsigmond Sándor
Soma Varga
Lázár Todoroff
András Fehér
Mira Simonyi-Lengyel
Milán Pellei
Ádám Langó
Mátyás Major
Balázs Márton
Cast
Gergely Váradi — PEER, MR. HISTORY
Dominika Rezes — JULIA
Emina Messaoudi — DR. SCHNITT
Bálint Bán — FINN
Veronika Kozma — MIRIAM
István Szacsvai — CHORUS LEADER, CHINESE DRONE
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Our Supporters
We would like to thank Bence Bárány, Jakab Tóth, János Koncz, TÁP Theatre, Renátó Olasz, Béla Pintér, Dávid Lövei, Tünde Fritzson-Bajdor, Nóra Schultz, Ábel Kotorman, János Pongrácz, Gege 6363, Boglárka Bacsó, Beatrix Trill, the Austrian Cultural Forum, Thomas Köck, Bori Péterfy, Milán Gauder, Dr. Attila Sándor, Dr. Orsolya Antal, Kolos Halász (CoLee), INGA Culture Café, Beáta Barda, Dr. Csaba Rezes, Judit Romwalter, Theater tri-bühne, Csaba Hámory, Dr. György Bánki, Sándor Révész, the Goethe-Institut Budapest, Márta Simonyi-Lengyel, Péter Závada, Áron Sonfalvi, the crew of The Informant, Dada Suzi, Barnabás Tóth, Viktória Rozgonyi-Kulcsár, Kriszta Bíró, András Polgár, Ádám Mezei, János Mató, György Cserhalmi, Zsuzsanna Kiss, Laura Técsi, Lajos Parti Nagy, Anita György, Levente Kovács, Tünde Szoboszlai, Bakony Búvárszivattyú Kft., Barbara Knuth, Vörösmarty Mihály High School, SPARKS Rental, and Kultúrbrigád for their great ideas and kind assistance.
This production was created with the permission of © Suhrkamp Verlag AG Berlin, through the mediation of Hofra Kft.