1956: To Leave or to Stay? The Fates of Hungarian Actors and the Revolution
To leave one’s homeland, or to stay and face persecution, silence, or even death? The communist dictatorship forced Hungarian actors to make a difficult choice. “I believe an actor can only perform well in the language in which they dream,” said Mária Mezei, who chose to stay. Éva Szörényi, who emigrated to America, recalled, referring to Sándor Márai: “We both lost our mother tongue, the language we had devoted our professional lives to serving.”
On November 5 at 3:30 p.m., the National Theatre will commemorate the theatrical heroes and victims of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence with a literary programme entitled Hungarian Actors and the Revolution.
The programme will feature Ádám Schnell, Andrea Söptei, Auguszta Tóth, and László Tóth.
The performance will take place in the foyer of the Gobbi Hilda Stage.