The summer season at the Great Forest Open-Air Stage in Debrecen—celebrating its 75th anniversary—will feature seventeen productions and a total of twenty performances starting on June 4, organizers announced at a press conference held Wednesday at the Simor Ottó Orpheum in the Csokonai Forum.
László Papp, Mayor of Debrecen, recalled that the open-air stage first opened in June 1950 with a performance of Székelyfonó, a musical play by Zoltán Kodály. The stage also offered one of the very first performance opportunities for the Debrecen Folk Ensemble, which is also celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
He emphasized that Zoltán Kodály himself attended the inauguration ceremony on June 10, 1950.
Papp called the Great Forest Open-Air Stage a “colorful highlight” of Debrecen’s cultural life, saying it awaits theater lovers in a “welcoming and inviting environment” for the summer season, which begins on June 4—National Unity Day—and concludes in early September.
Szabolcs Mátyássy, director of the Csokonai National Theater, announced that the season will open with Lélek-Fonó, featuring separate choreographies by the Debrecen Folk Ensemble and the Debrecen Hajdú Folk Dance Ensemble, followed by a joint tribute to Székelyfonó.
The director said that audiences can expect seven spoken-word plays, five musicals, two dance performances, and three concerts throughout the summer season. He noted there is strong interest in the open-air theater, with some performances already nearly sold out.
In addition to the Debrecen Folk Ensemble and the Debrecen Hajdú Folk Dance Ensemble, this year’s returning partners include: the Centrál Theater, Coopera, Játékszín, József Attila Theater, L’art pour l’art Airline, the Orlai Production Office, Pécs Ballet, the Szigligeti Theater of Szolnok, and Thália Theater.
New collaborators this year include the Bartók Theater of Dunaújváros, the Erkel Theater, the Miskolc National Theater, and the Szigliget Castle Courtyard Summer Theater.
(Debreceni Nap)
