About the theatre

Prologue

Csokonai National Theatre, located at 10 Kossuth Street, is the oldest and largest theatre in Debrecen. The building was constructed between 1861-65, based on plans by Hungarian architecht Antal Szkalnitzky. The Romantic structure features elements from Byzantine and Moorish architecture. The theatre opened on 7 October 1865 with Bánk bán, the famous Hungarian play written by József Katona. Róza Laborfalvi, an icon of the nation's theatrical history, guest-starred in the play as Gertrudis.

The building was renamed after renowned Hungarian poet, Mihály Csokonai Vitéz in 1915 and recieved national theatre status in 2012.

Acclaimed stars of the country such as Lujza Blaha, Hanna Honthy, Kálmán Latabár and Gyula Csortos performed in the same building that continues to host most of our plays to this day. Many rising stars who started out at the Csokonai Thetare, such as Imre Soós, László Mensáros, László Márkus, Zoltán Latinovits or Géza Hofi went on to build wildly successful careers. The names of our season subscriptions commemorate some of the great artists who are now part of our amazingly rich history.

Company

The first theatre company of Debrecen was active between 1810-1824, well before the creation of a temporary stage.

In the three decades that followed, at least 25 different troupes performed plays in the city, signalling the growing demand for cultural activities in the region. Plays were typically hosted on temporary stages during seasonal fairs.

Sándor Petőfi performed with the company between 1843–1844. His single winter in Debrecen was bitter, but two years later, in 1846, he had an uplifting experience as a celebrated poet: when he made an appearance, he was greeted by a storm of applause and Kornélia Prielle recited a poem of his.

Between 1847 and 1857, the theater in Debrecen barely survived, except for the visit by the Kossuth government, during which Róza Laborfalvy, Lendvai, and Egressy performed for wounded soldiers and the members of the government. In 1861, the popular tenor and theater director István Reszler came to Debrecen with his 'drama and opera company.' Reszler built a 'covered theater,' a wooden structure at 4 Péterfia Street, at his own expense. Alongside the likes of Miklós Zöldy and Vilmos Foltényi, he was one of the leading figures of the 'National Theater.'

The company went on to inaugurate the permanent theater that opened on 7 October 1865.

THE HISTORIC THEATRE BUILDING – 1865

The idea of a permanent theater arose as early as the 1840s, but funding couldn't be secured and no subsequent government permission was granted.

In 1858, the Theater Committee was formed, which began negotiations with Miklós Ybl. Ybl initially suggested a central location in Nagy Czegléd Street, before opting for a location closer to the city center. In 1861, he withdrew when he learned that the city was also negotiating with Antal Skalnitzky.

During this time, at the end of the Bach-era, the art scene in Debrecen began flourishing. In 1861, the Memorial Gardens Group was established, making arrangements for the space between the Great Church and the Reformed College, and collecting money for the Soldier statue, and later for Miklós Izsó's monument to Mihály Csokonai Vitéz. They launched the newspaper Hortobágy, which became a constant advocate for noble causes.

Meanwhile, in 1861, the city council voted to allocate 140,000 forints and decided to commence the construction works. Antal Skalnitzky started working with great enthusiasm, drawing inspiration from works he had seen in France and England and his own acquired experiences. After a great deal of intense work, he submitted his plans on 15 June 1861, which was approved with a budget of 144,530 forints. In recognition of the plans, he was elected a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The execution of the work was undertaken by Imre Vecsey for a sum of 101,500 forints. The experienced architect who had traveled throughout Europe performed his duties excellently and with great dedication, despite various difficulties.

The city only managed to keep up with payments by selling more and more land; the plots that were being sold on the fringes of town became known as the ‘Land of Regrets’ and ‘Cursed Lands’ by those who opposed the sale. Therefore, it is not true, and indeed a comment against the city dwellers, to say that the city of Debrecen built such a splendid theater ‘because it could afford it.’ Indeed, the magnificent and spacious palace was built for the future generations.

Despite all these difficulties, by the fall of 1864, the theater was already standing, and work on the exterior and interior decorations began. Antal Skalnitzky designed the cast-iron fence and the lamp posts, while the slender interior columns of the building were painted in crimson-red and gold.

The decorative painting was done by Károly Teucher snr, who had previously completed excellent work on the building of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and several public buildings in Pest. His brightly colored, gold-framed, Hungarian floral ornaments suited the Romantic style of the theater building.

The theater commissioned Károly Telepy to paint the portraits and the coat of arms of Debrecen featured above the stage.

He depicted the seven great figures of the Hungarian and Debrecen theater scene: József Szerdahelyi, Károly Megyeri, Lajos Fáncsi, Márton Lendvay snr, Zsigmond Szentpéteri, and Mrs. Kántor Anna Engelhardt.

The exterior statues of the building were modeled by János Marschalkó. He undertook the task of carving six life-sized statues depicting famous poets for the theater, as well as the allegorical figures entitled 'Poetry' and 'Folk Song' depicted in Hungarian attire for 300 forints each.

On the left, the statues of Sándor Petőfi, Ferenc Kazinczy and Mihály Vörösmarty were situated in alcoves, with statues of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz, Ferenc Kölcsey and Károly Kisfaludy on the right. The coat of arms of Debrecen, carved by László Halász, was placed on the upper half of the main facade of the theater.

By the fall of 1865, the theater was ready for its opening. The grand opening took place on 7 October with a prologue by Mór Jókai, followed by a ceremonial performance of József Katona's Bánk bán. The prologue was delivered by Mrs. Jókai Róza Laborfalvy, who played the role of Gertrudis, while György Molnár played Bánk bán, Gyula Rónay played Petur, and István Együd portrayed King Endre II.

The members of the first troupe were immortalized in a group portrait by József Marastoni. His lithograph was based on twenty-four photographs from the Gondy-Egey photography studio. The studio captured the most significant and also the lesser-known opera singers, dramatic actors, comic dancers, and soubrettes of the theater.