We know it’s not easy, but could you tell us briefly about yourself?

Yes, I can talk for ages! But I’ll try to summarise my introduction. My name is Angéla Eke, I’m an actress, but not in the traditional sense, rather I follow my own vision. I can most authentically be myself in intimate theatre workshops, so in my adulthood, I found my calling in the independent theatre scene. However, unfortunately, independent theatres face many difficulties in Hungary.

Besides theatre, I also work on my own projects. It’s important for me to not only work on commissioned projects, but to also bring my ideas to the stage or to any other space. It’s been a rewarding experience to have had several of my projects come to life.

What does a typical day of yours look like?

Routine has never really been part of my life. I work flexible hours, so no days are the same. Sometimes, my alarm is set for 4 am on a Wednesday to go on set, then I continue with a theatre rehearsal, go for a photoshoot, perform at the theatre, and then collapse in my bed at the end of the day. In contrast, my Thursday might be completely free, which is hard for me to cope with. 

I’m not good at saying no. Being an actress is similar to childhood patterns — you crave to be constantly wanted, to have someone to work with. It’s not a 9-to-5 job where you go in, do your job, go home, and still have a life. Up until this year, I felt that I needed to give my profession my all. This season, however, I decided to take a break from theatre for a year. It consumed everything, all of my inner energy. And I also wanted to live my life. I love my life, and it felt like I hadn’t been living it and enjoying it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do less or say no to more projects, so the only way was to burn everything up for a while and spend some time with myself, focusing on my inner work.

Most of all, I’d like to be a better person. I believe that this transformative period will be beneficial for my profession too, as they’ll get a better individual back.

What does this look like in practice?

I started an intense series of therapy sessions. I didn’t want to start several different self-awareness activities — I felt that might be too much to manage. I rather wanted a form of therapy that can be a regular part of my life. When I was working full-time, I couldn’t start the process because I was constantly afraid that if I had to cancel a session, my therapist would be disappointed in me. What if I have to stop altogether? I was full of anxiety. I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time, and I’m happy to say that I’ve been keeping at it for the past six months. Besides therapy, I’m trying to practice the life I’ve been missing. 

In similar situations, many people travel to see what’s out there. I rather wanted to enjoy and experience the life and the city I already live in. My boyfriend also works in the creative industry and we love our lives, but could never put into practice what we envisioned for ourselves. Now, we do it every day.

Other than that, things just happen naturally. For example, both of us separately went on a 10-day retreat where we learnt a meditation technique. We spent 10 days without any distractions, keeping a noble silence, not talking to anyone, and it turned my world upside down. I recently arrived back home from the retreat, so the experience is still fresh and intense. I’m very grateful to have been introduced to this type of meditation. I’m planning on practising it daily.


Rather than avoiding the reality of a potential burnout, I decided to confront it and face it head-on. My anxiety in recent years was likely connected to this looming feeling and it feels good to be working on this. 

Thank you for speaking so openly about the importance of mental health. Do you have any hobbies that people might not know about?

I’m trying to practice the art of living, and travelling in a van is a part of that. This really is one of the best things life can offer. Nowadays, you don’t have to go full nomad — everything you might need can be found in a van, it’s technically a hotel room, but giving you the freedom to stop wherever you want. For instance, we fell in love with travelling in a van abroad while in Lanzarote. We’ve been there several times, and it’s great that there are no restrictions. You choose the spot of your dreams and spend the night there. Nothing compares. I bet there are super cool accommodations and hotels at amazing locations, but the fact that we can sleep and wake up at the most incredible places every day is what I consider the true art of life.

What’s in your bag?

YKRA TRAVEL CASE - Comfort is incredibly important to me. If I had to choose a word that describes my life and my belongings, I would say comfort. I love that I can only put my most important things in the travel case. If I had a bigger bag, it would always be full of useless junk.

Green Pebble - This small green pebble was painted by my younger brother when our grandfather died. When I’m sad about losing someone, I can look at it and hold it for comfort.

Notebook - This notebook I got from my mom is an essential part of my life. I write down everything in it, from calculating bills, ideas for art projects, and thoughts to drawings — it’s super random and incredibly personal. I’ve always been afraid of losing it. All my classmates kept diaries in school but I didn’t dare to. I thought “what if I end up losing it, and others learn about my deepest secrets?” Even though every role, and every piece of art I create is personal, I have a peculiar relationship with writing things down.

Necklace - My grandfather gave me this pendant as a gift, the first time we met! I was a teenager, and when I first saw it, I instantly hated it — how can something be so hideous and old-looking — so for a long time, I hid it in my treasure box. I found it two years ago and its beauty made me emotional: it struck me how we experience so many different realities in a lifetime — we have a very strong opinion about something, and then a decade or two goes by and we make a 180.  I’ve been wearing it ever since.

I added this letter B pendant later, after my dog, Bambi, who died a few years ago at the age of 14. I had a difficult childhood, and yet, I still consider losing my dog one of the greatest losses of my life. I’m not ready to adopt a new dog just yet. Naturally, I know I would be able to love an animal sometime in the future, but I feel her personality is still ingrained in me. Even though she has been gone for over 2 years, we mention her every day. It’s a plus that my boyfriend’s name is Balázs, so this pendant is 2-in-1.

Sleeping Accessories — the earplugs, and the sleep mask — are essential parts of my life. I can’t sleep without them, so if there’s a slight chance of me not sleeping in my own bed, I always keep them with me.

They are also great mementoes of my sleep theatre project.

During the pandemic, I started writing the story of The Son of the White Mare — one of the most famous Hungarian folk tales. As an actress, I was without a job during lockdown, and even after restaurants were reopened, theatres still weren’t allowed to operate. After a while, I felt I had taken a long enough break and wanted to do something and writing was something I could do at home. I’m not a writer, and I’ve never written before, so I thought “Great, I won’t have to show this to anyone, so I can write freely”. I wrote a modern interpretation of The Son of the White Mare. When life started returning to normal, I thought I might want to show my work to someone. I reached out to Zsófi Kemény, [the Hungarian poet], for her thoughts on my work, and she encouraged me to take it further.  I wanted to create a theatre play, but not in the traditional sense. Rather than having the audience sit in chairs, I aimed to create an immersive experience that bridges the gap between the stage and the audience, and brings them closer together.

In my projects, I like to reflect on my thoughts about society and my environment in general. That’s when the idea came to me: the audience should lay in beds! I should create a magical, dreamy bed installation and I should tuck them all in! It also made me think about the most loving act in life — something that makes us feel safe and loved — and that might just be bedtime stories. My parents never read stories to me, so I thought why not process this loss by reading to those in the audience? This is how my adult bedtime story project came to life. The beautiful bedsheets were made by my friend, Anna Oláh, founder and designer of ANNA AMÉLIE, who hand-painted all the pillows and blankets. The audience lies in beds where they are welcome to fall asleep — which they often do! And they leave incredibly happy.

Camera - I began taking pictures purely as a hobby, and my interest lies solely in analogue photography since I'm not a professional. I never felt the urge to shoot digital, and I love the slower pace of film photography. With only 36 frames available, I can't take 200 shots of a coffee cup or a person. Each of those 36 frames needs to convey something meaningful. I believe in the magic of the moment, but when it comes to photography, slowing down is what I enjoy. I like being on the other side of the camera, creating a concept, and portraying the atmosphere and my model’s essence. I even had an exhibition.

Lipstick - I’m required to wear make-up for work, so I usually don’t apply any when I’m not on stage. However, I always have some lipstick with me. Who knows when I’ll need that little bit of something extra?

Sunscreen - Sunscreen equals travel to me. Since we started travelling in a van with my boyfriend, we sometimes go abroad even during the winter. This has been a dream of mine — going from winter to summer — and it finally came true. Since the van is always outside, sunscreen has to be my trusty companion.

Speaker - With my boyfriend, another one of our hobbies is DJing. We usually do it for fun in our living room, but we regularly get invited to play. This is an entirely self-taught skill and it’s a very freeing experience. This is why I have this speaker with me.

Photo by Botond Wertán