THE HUNGARIAN THEATRE OF CLUJ PRESENTED EIGHT PREMIERES IN THE 2021/2022 SEASON

The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj presented eight premieres in the 2021/2022 season, which would have been a worthy achievement even if the first part of the season had not been affected by the pandemic and the second half had not been affected by economic difficulties. - said director Gábor Tompa at the season’s final meeting, expressing also his thanks to the company for their hard work.

The first performance of the theatre’s 229^th season, which took place in September, was The Cherry Orchard, directed by Yuri Kordonsky. Lóránd Váta won the Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 30^th UNITER Gala for his portrayal of Lopahin in The Cherry Orchard.

In October, Eugène Ionesco's absurdist drama Macbett was staged by Silviu Purcărete. The production was nominated for Best Performance at the 30^th UNITER Gala.

In December, Gábor Tompa directed Hamlet, the most famous Shakespearean tragedy in world literature, starring Miklós H. Vecsei. The performance represented also the debut of the mini-season of the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj, entitled Showcase 2021. The 11-day even took place between December 3-12, featuring the theatre’s its latest premieres and those performances that were scarcely presented during the pandemic period, as well as an exhibition opening and book launches.

The first production of 2022 was Journey by Moonlight, based Antal Szerb’s novel, directed by Botond Nagy, for which the rehearsals began during the 2020/2021 season, but due to the pandemic  restrictions the production was not able to be presented.

March saw not one, but two premieres with the return of Andrei Șerban to Cluj for the fourth time, this time staging Robert Icke's tragedy Oedipus - based on Sophocles – on the Main Stage, with a dual cast, while Ferenc Sinkó directed Anne Lepper's contemporary German drama Seymour – I’m Only Here by Accident for the theatre's Studio Hall.

Two premieres took place in July, at the end of the season. The production PROMETHEUS'22, played in Hungarian, Romanian, Slovenianm and English, directed by Gábor Tompa, was co-produced by the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj, the State Theatre of Constanţa and SNT Drama Ljublajana, as part of the European Theatre Union's Catastrophe project. The production will be featured next in Cluj within the  8th Interferences International Theatre Festival.

The theatre's 2021/2022 season ended with the world premiere of Young Barbarians, directed by Attila Vidnyánszky Jr., a joint production of the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj and the Gyula Castle Theatre. The performance was inspired by the lives of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, based on a text by Miklós H. Vecsei and improvisations by the creative team.

The company of the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj also participated in several theatre festivals in the last season: the documentary-play Porno - The Story of My Wife, directed by Árpád Árkosi, was presented at  the 12th edition of the dráMA Contemporary Theatrical Encounter, while Macbett was included in the 13th International Shakespeare Theatre Festival in Craiova.

The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj participated in two consecutive editions of the Madách International Theatre Festival in Budapest: the drama A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Botond Nagy, was presented to the Budapest audience at the 7th MITEM last September, while Gábor Tompa's staging of Hamlet was showcased at the 8^th MITEM in April.

In the upcoming 230^th season, which begins in August, will include the Interferences International Theatre Festival which will return in its physical form between November 17 and 27. The theme of the 8^th edition of the biennale will be FEAR/HOPE.

The premieres of the 2022/2023 season will be staged by such directors as László Béres, László Bocsárdi, Nuno Cardoso, István Szabó K., and Botond Nagy.

The first premiere of the next season will debut on October 5, when Áron Tamási's Ancestral Comfort, directed by László Béres, will be presented to audiences.

After the summer break, the theatre will return in August with performances featured within the 13^th Hungarian Cultural Days of Cluj. Tickets for the August performances can be purchased online until  August 7 at www.biletmaster.ro, and starting from August 8 also at the theatre's ticket office.

The company of the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj wishes you all a lovely summer and looks forward to welcoming you back for the 2022/2023 season!