Helyszín címkék:
Gárdonyi Géza Theatre, the “theatre of hope”
Bóday Csilla
The difficult period caused by the pandemic has hit theatres hard, with the restrictions that came with it. What kind of season was the Gárdonyi Géza Theatre facing that time?
The last season at the Gárdonyi Géza Theatre started with high hopes. Children, young adults alike had come to the theatre throughout the season. We started the season with hope for the future and a belief in security, with plays that promise to be fun, relaxing and offering a positive message after the difficult times we’ve been through.
"The aesthetics of the performances are an experience the audience can take home with them that night. I would like the theatre to serve the audience in a way that, as well as making them think further, allow them to find a way out of the problems they are confronted with. This is how I think about the theatre of hope. I want to create a positive message in the performances and present it powerfully." (Balázs Blaskó, theatre director)
Where is the audience from? Do tourists buy tickets to the performances as well as locals?
The audience in Eger is very sensitive to theatre content, demanding quality entertainment. They respond attentively and receptively to performances with deep content and social issues and they also welcome our musical productions. The operetta and musical genres are in high demand, requiring additional seats because of the full-house. People often come to the performances from greater distances, as tourists coming to Eger, individuals or groups. Even if they're in town for a short time, they're keen to see a show at our old traditional theatre.
GG Dance is an integral part of the theatre company. What performances can we see from them?
It is a great pleasure for the whole band that the dance genre has made a comeback. The 11 year-old GG Dance Eger Company rehearsed intensively during the pandemic, working on online performances and making a ballet film. In addition to the romantic dance play Sisi, they also prepared for last year's jubilee the 10th Egri Studio Theatre Dance Festival, where the company performed As You Like It. The premiere of Sisi was on 16 June 2021 in Budapest, on the stage of the National Dance Theatre, and our theatre presented it in Eger last spring.
How typical is the staging of plays by artists from Eger or related to Eger?
We believe in the importance of local values. We helped stage plays by writers from Eger on several occasions. Our repertoire included a performance in memory of the "14th martyr of Arad", General János Lenkey of 1948, a native of Eger, by Sándor Fekete.
A truly good show can only be put on by a well-oiled team, correct?
Our company is a very close-knit group. It is a huge responsibility to work in such a long-established theatre in this day and age and pass it on to the next generation. There has been an independent theatre company working at the Eger Theatre since 1955. We took over the theatre in 2011 and our season ticket attendance, which had fallen to just under six thousand by then, doubled in a short time and has not declined since then. This is a clear sign that we know our audience's needs and can serve them in a memorable, quality way.
The company, led by artist Réka Babócsai, is committed to animal protection. Recently, in the spirit of corporate social responsibility, they have been helping orphaned animals find a responsible owner and a new home through all the theatre's forums and community spaces. The theatre's 35 staff members are always on hand to support this noble cause with the "Adopt an animal" campaign.
