| With the opening of Central Europe to the West in the early 1990s themes that had not been examined before on-stage were sweeping theatres in the region. In Extremities the theme of rape is deftly explored by playwright Mastrosimone. Christian Heppinstall brought this theme to Hungarian stages for the first time when he directed Extremities for the Karinthy Theatre of Budapest. The effects were immediate and positive for two quite disparate groups attended in large numbers: NANÉ (the first shelter for battered women in Hungary) and members of the Municipal Police. After one performance a male policeman told stage director Heppinstall that he would never again think that women "asked for it", in others words, that they would invite rape into their lives. |  |
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