Magyar Hírek, 1983 (36. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1983-11-12 / 23. szám
ABOUT THIS ISSUE - AND THE PREVIOUS ONE MIKLÓS HUBAY ON THE NEW NATIONAL THEATRE No. 22 of this journal, without an English supplement, detailed at length the fortunes of the new National Theatre. 1 consider this so important an aspect of Hungarian culture in our days, that the interview with Miklós Hubay, the President of the Federation of Hungarian Writers, is published in this supplement in (English as well. The (somewhat abbreviated) text however, requires some background information for second and third generation readers. Let me recall the fundamentally important role filled by the Hungarian theatre during the hard days of the 18th and 19th centuries, at the time of the Germanizing attempts by the Habs burgs in the preservation of Hungarian culture and Hungarian language. The path lead from the Hungarian theatre company of László Kelemen which performed in the Rondella of old Pest in 1790 to the opening of the first permanent theatre in the capital city in the year of 1837, which has been operated under the name of National Theatre since 1840. It was a long, rough, road, full of struggles. Later, when the Hungarian theatre developed fast, the National Theatre maintained its leading and guiding role: Imre Madách’s dramatic poem, “The tragedy of man”, and Mihály Vörösmarty’s “Csongor and Tünde” were among the plays that were performed for the first time by the National Theatre, and many of the greats of the Hungarian theatre \\ ere members of its company,_from Mari Jászai to Emilia Márkus, Árpád Odry and Gizi Bajor. When it comes to buildings, the National Theatre has been dogged by bad luck. The first, 19th century, building was demolished in 1908, having outlived its usefulness. Then the National Theatre moved “temporarily” into the building of the then Folk Theatre. That temporary arrangement lasted until 1964, when the old Folk Theatre building also fell victim to the demolisher’s picks and the company of the National Theatre had to move to another temporary home and modernization did not really alter this character. Now, at last, things are moving, and the long-cherished plan of building a new National Theatre is coming close to realization. Hungarians at home and abroad, wherever they may be, will, I am sure, be proud and pleased to contribute to the construction of the new home of the Hungarian National Theatre in Budapest, in a fine spot in the Városliget, the City Park. László Garami’s report on gatherings held in London and Manchester Hungarian Clubs, where the assembled guests were entertained with cooking demonstrations and a lighthearted show was published in Hungarian in the previous issue as well. A slightly abbreviated version is now included in English. The World Federation of Hungarians intends to follow up these successful functions with similar ones in other countries. Several articles in the Hungarian part of the present issue treat problems of foreign trade from a number of aspects. Many of our readers are certain to be interested in Hungarian foreign trade. How can little Hungary which has but meagre energy and raw material resources, where nearly half of national income is realized through foreign trading, ensure stability, a satisfactory supply of goods and relative affluence in the current, tough world economic situation ? We publish sections from an interview with János Nyerges “The chances of David”, from an article by István Balázs “What is the Fair good for?” and from reportage by Ágnes G. Bartha, and Lenke Elek. The full Hungarian text is on (pages 8 — 11. Number 22.) I should like to call the attention of fanciers of curiosities to the article on the 125 years old history of making matches in Szeged (pages 24—25.), illustrated by reproductions of old matchbox labels. Another article on the Hungarian Film Archives discusses the history of the Hungarian film (pages 12—14.). For those interested in the history of football, there is a nostaligc item from the pen of Dezső Vad about the 6 : 3 victory of the Hungarian “golden eleven” over England thirty years ago, (pages 22—-23.), and there is also an account of an old traditional Budapest activity in the English supplement: winter swimming in the open pools of the Lukács baths, fed by natural thermal springs, a pleasure to which everyone yeames to return who has ever experienced it. Katalin Karády, the very best movie star of the 30's, with Géza Berczy Maquette of the planned National Theatre The lack of a National Theatre has stimulated all of us to action. . . “The Hungarian nation as a whole painfully reacts to certain things it misses. One of these has been the unfinished business of the National Theatre. And look, now the whole of our nation made the cause of building the Hungarian National Theatre its own. We have been witnessing the spontaneous initiative of Hungarian society aimed at establishing a worthy permanent home.” The em husiasm shown by individuals and various groups, and the offer of considerable sums on money for this noble purpose is very moving. I believe you moved an important motion at the meeting, where the 7 5-member Patronage Committee was formed with the prime task of ensuring that the money collected should be used for the building of the new theatre! “It is unprecedented in theatrical history that the public will should elevate the centenary of the first performance of a play almost to the status of a national feast day, as happened now in Hungary with Imre Madách’s “The tragedy of man”. I feel this is the most suitable moment for us to start reversing the process of divergence between the Hungarian drama, and the Hungarian theatre. The centenary of the first performance of “The tragedy of man” is the celebration of the assertion on the stage of the highest ideal realized by the Hungarian drama, and also the celebration of placing the Reform Age idea of the National Theatre into a new light. These thoughts led me to move at the first session of the Patronage Committee to declare the 21st September, the anniversary of the first stage performance of Imre Madách’s work in the National Theatre, under the direction of Ede Paulay, to be Hungarian Drama Day! The Patronage Committee accepted my motion, showing with sympathy. It may come true in 1984.” Has it ever happened that the country should turn to Hungarians living abroad in interests of such a momentuous cause as the present one? “As far as I know this is the first occasion. I am convinced that the majority of Hungarians living beyond our borders will embrace the cause of the National Theatre, thereby showing their true feelings for the countiy and the Hungarian people. It would be a good thing if our compatriots living abroad would help the noble cause of building the new National Theatre as much as they can with their financial contributions, perhaps even contributions ‘in kind’!” Do you have bequests, works of arts in mind? “Yes, that too. But I am also thinking of highstandard stage-technical items or acoustic equipment. The Patronage Committee will have to give account not only of the use of financial contributions, but will also have to give regular information to the press concerning the collection, the preparation of construction work and later of the work itself.” The annals of the old National Theatre had recorded the names of people who paid their subscriptions in advance. Will the Patronage Committee commemorate individual and collective donations given to the end of 1988? “We should like to commemorate the donors in an appropriate manner, but have not yet worked out the details. My personal opinion is that the names of those who have offered the most important donations should be incised in the marble walls of the new National Theatre in letters of gold.” ÄDÄM BALÁZS 28
