THE PASSION OF CSÍKSOMLYÓ
Based on 18th century Franciscan school plays and Passion by Géza Szőcs
In 2018, the performance was shown in the saddle of Csíksomlyó, in 2019 in the square in front of the Esztergom Basilica, in 2021 in front of the Reformed Great Church of Debrecen. In 2022 we visited Cluj-Napoca. This also includes a free performance in the capital as part of the 10th Theatre Olympics programme.
PASSION AT THE BASILICA
May 26, 2023
Budapest, Szent István square, 8 PM
PASSION AT THE BASILICA
May 26, 2023
Budapest, Szent István square, 8 PM
With the participation of the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble and its Orchestra
This performance is a co-production with the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble.
Members of the older generation may recall the Passion of Csíksomlyó, which premiered at the then National Theatre in 1981 and ran very successfully for over ten years. Staging the passion of Jesus during the last decade of a morally disintegrating communist dictatorship amounted to a veritable demonstration against the regime. Imre Kerényi’s direction also proved that the language of 18th century school plays is still enjoyable for today’s audience, if it is accompanied by the traditional folk culture revived by the Dance House Movement. But is a major undertaking like that still viable today?
From the 1990s onwards, Csíksomlyó became a pan-Hungarian pilgrimage site drawing ever-larger crowds. It represents a spiritual pivotal point on which we believe we can safely build. This Passion of Csíksomlyó of the National Theatre asks questions about the foundations of our Christian faith, and draws attention to the prospects of the European faith community. It aims to create a new stage language in which the 18th century interpretation of the Biblical story and Géza Szőcs’ contemporary adaptation form an integral unit with the religious folk songs performed by András Berecz and the folk-based dance choreography performed by the members of the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble.
