Hungarian American Coalition News, 1994 (3. évfolyam, 1. szám)

1994 / 1. szám

American Troupe in Hungary with English-Language Production of Hungarian Play

The Threshold Theatre Company of New York City, upon the invitation of the Hungarian National Theatre took to Hungary its acclaimed production of No Conductor and In Shadow by Hungarian writer, Geza Paskandi. Performances were held in December, 1993, in three cities: Eger, Debrecen and Budapest.

With seed money provided by the Hungarian American Coalition together with two generous sponsors - Malév Airlines and Ward Howell International - the travel of The Threshold Theatre’s actors and transportation of the sets were assured. Director Pamela Billig, whose many years of directing experience include other English-language premieres of contemporary Hungarian plays by András Suto and Miklós Vámos, had already received rave reviews from Clive Barnes of the New York Post on the occasion of the American Premiere of these two plays. Barnes called them “intriguing and tantalizing” and “smoothly translated, adroitly directed, and beautifully acted. ” Hungarian audiences also responded most favorably to the performances of these very interesting “absurdoid” plays.

Eugene Brogyanyi, cofounder with Pamela Billig of The Threshold Theatre Company, was the prize-winning translator of No Conductor. They are both dedicated to presenting plays of the past and present, never or rarely available to English-speaking tourists, students, expatriates and business people in Hungary. The Coalition hopes that this excellent production is the beginning of a tradition of presenting Hungarian drama in English translation in Hungary in the future.

Coalition Project Updates Continued

At the reception for No Conductor in Budapest on December 3, 1993: Dr. Stephen Benkö, (Budapest Liaison, Hungarian American Coalition); Ms. Pamela Billig (Director of The Threshold Theatre Company); Ms. Hedvig Vecsey and Mr. Joachim Zyla (representing cosponsor Ward Howell International).

Visiting Medical Scholars Program

Helping Hungarian professionals establish mutually beneficial relationships with their American counterparts is one of the Hungarian American Coalition’s main objectives. Few programs exemplify this part of our mission better than the Visiting Medical Scholars Program.

Initiated by Bela Jankó, M.D., of Monterey, California, who is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center and was a student leader at Semmelweis University before his escape from Hungary in 1956, the VMSP was adopted as a Coalition Project in 1992. In just two years, Dr. Jankó has organized and funded visits to the U.S. for some of Hungary’s most distinguished medical leaders, such as Attila Naslady, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Hungarian Cardiopulmonary Institute; Dr. Gabor Brooser and Dr. Lajos Szolnoki, President and Secretary of the Hungarian Medical Association; and Dr. Rudolph deChatel and Dr. Miklós Réthelyi, respectively Dean of Medicine and Rector of the Semmelweis University of Medicine in Budapest.

Dr. Janko’s excellent contacts and personal efforts assure an extremely productive experience for these Hungarian visitors. In addition to identifying American medical specialists who best suit the professional interests of the visiting physicians, he arranges accommodations, appointments and translators. In a two week visit, the Hungarian Medical Scholars were introduced to the California Medical Association, the California State Legislature, the Dean and Department Heads at Stanford University Hospital and Medical Center, as well as the School of Nursing at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. Dr. Jankó even organized the first ever dinner meeting of the Northern California Alumni Association of the Semmelweis Medical School!

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Spring 1994 • Hungarian American Coalition News • 5