The best Hungarian artists again at the Open Air Festival in Szeged in 2012

5 productions in 4 genres, out of which 3 Hungarian plays and 2 world premieres will be played this summer at the stage of the Open Air Festival in Szeged.

Edina Bátyai, director, is really proud that in this often factional theatrical environment, the Festival in Szeged is able to entice the artists from every corner of the country under the starry sky of the Dome Square. Such artists, who often have completely different world views or artistic callings. The audience therefore can be delighted with a truly colourful programme that encounters all genres and national theatrical range.

This summer, the line of invited artists who will meet in Szeged, “the melting pot of the national theatrical life” will range from west to east – From Győr to Debrecen – through the capital. Furthermore, the director finds it highly important, that the festival have always managed to collaborate with several stone theatres. In 2012, this will be proved by two performances coming to life as co-productions: Jekyll and Hyde, in collaboration with the National Theatre of Győr, and the Mary, in collaboration with the Csokonai Theatre.

JEKYLL AND HYDE – OPEN AIR WORLD PREMIER WITH THE ACTORS OF THE LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE

This performance of Jekyll and Hyde directed by László Molnár will be an open air world premier with part of the cast of the legendary show more than 10 years ago. The lead shall be played again by the director himself, with Kata Janza as Lucy and Bernadett Tunyogi as Emma.

The fascinatingly creative visuals worthy of the eerily demonic play will be staged by Kentaur, and the costumes of the actors will be born according to the envision of Hajnal Tordai. The audience of the Dome Square can see the bloodbath breaking loose due to the experiment of the well-recognised English psychiatrist in three performances on 6th, 7th and 8th of July.

HEGYEN-VÖLGYÖN LAKODALOM (CAREFREE WEDDING-FEAST) – BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO FERENC NOVÁK

The devilish story will be followed by the new premier of the Kossuth-prize winner choreographer-director, Ferenc Novák, who has a more than 40-year long professional connection to the Open Air Festival. This year, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, he has been asked by the director of the Festival to direct the folk dance production of 2012.

Folk dance groups from Hungary and beyond the frontiers shall have an enormous wedding on the stage of the Dome Square accompanied by such popular artists as Péter Novák, Imre Csuja and Csaba Horváth. Within the lines of the creators of the production, one can find the dancer-choreographer Jolán Foltin, the permanent co-producer of Ferenc Novák, as well as Eszter Novák director. The show will be staged twice, on 13th and 14th of July.

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA (RUSTIC CHIVALRY) / PAGLIACCI (CLOWNS) – DESIRED OPERAS WITH A CROSSOVER CAST

The Open Air Festival will present two one-act open air operas directed by Gábor Kerényi Miklós in an exciting concept providing an all-artistic experience. By staging the desired operas the director would like to please not only the carved ears of the opera lovers but a much wider audience as well. His vision of a people’s theatre will be strengthened by the performance of artistes.

The main interest of the performance will be that they will have a unique crossover cast. Beside the most brilliant opera singers, such as Tünde Frankó, Béla Perencz and Viktória Mester, Attila Dolhai, one of the most popular singer of the national musical-life will step on stage in the Cavalleria Rusticana. Amongst the Pagliacci’s international cast – with the cooperation of Avgust Amonov, Asmik Gregorian and Boris Grappe – Máté Kerényi Miklós, who the audience could mostly see in musicals, has also been cast a role.

MARY – CAPTIVATING THEATRICAL VISION

The new Hungarian musical performance in collaboration with the Csokonai Theatre after the lou d success in Debrecen will be first performed on the Dome Square this summer. The unique musical experience is the composition of Tamás Szarka, the first musical of his career, which in the direction of Attila Vidnyánszky reflects even on the problems of the modern age, such as abortion through the elevating story of Mary. The show will enumerate amongst others Kinga Újhelyi (Mary), Gábor Bakos-Kiss (Joseph), Tibor Mészáros (Ego), Erika Pápai (Elisabeth) and Hobo (Kovács).

Vidnyánszky’s creation features dazzling visual effects again. Olekszandr Bilozub, with the sets for the Tragedy of Man, already proved on the stage of the Dome Square last year how wonderfully exalted visuals can enhance the directorial message, so this year he also created the lavish and monumental set and costumes. Péter Gemza’s beautiful choreography further enriches the anyway abundant theatrical texture.

MISKA MÁGNÁS– ALFÖLDI DIRECTS AN OPERETTA ON THE DOME SQUARE AGAIN

A “cymbalist rascal world” will move in to the Dome Square on 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th of August: Róbert Alföldi directs Albert Szirmai and Károly Bakonyi’s Miska Mágnás. Another great operetta success of the Open Air Festival was linked with the name of Alföldi, which meant a new start for operetta productions in the Festival.

Yet again, the audience can expect a wonderfully implemented and entertaining performance with such well-know actors on stage as András Stohl, Piroska Molnár, Zsolt László, István Znamenák, Rita Rácz, Zsolt Haja, Erika Náray, Csilla Radnay and Dávid Szatory. The sets of the show are designed by Róbert Menczel, and the creator of costumes is Anni Füzér.

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