„Tragédia s víg! kurta és unalmas!
Az annyi, mint tüzes jég, barna hó.
Hogy fér meg együtt e megférhetetlen?”- Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
March 2nd was buzzing with actors at the Pécs Community House. The performers from last summer’s memorable shows came back to relive the joy of playing together.
During the refurbishment of last year’s premieres, Mr. Mihály Kocsonya once again asked for the hand of Mrs. Péter Berbenczy. The newly wedded lady couldn’t contain herself either, and while her husband was watching game in the woods with his hunting buddy, Mr. Kodelka, she was socializing with her friends. The cunning husband once again outwitted the village women, who were once again sentenced by the judge to lifelong appreciation of men. Let’s not judge the play based on today’s views, as this little play is one of our first school dramas from 1765. It’s interesting to note that contemporary school plays were supported by, among others, the deputy king, Count Esterházy Pál, who himself acted as a student actor during his school years.
On this sunny spring morning, Gina argued with almost everyone at Matula, even though she promised her general father that she would trust him and behave. The boarding school girls played the game of getting married again in the shadow of war, so that later, after the bitter days of exclusion, they could find comfort in each other’s love again in the shadow of bombings. This story was written by Szabó Magda, who won five prizes in the self-study circle as a graduating high school student, and she also received the first prize for her Hungarian essay at the graduation, worth one hundred and twenty pengő. (At that time, this was considered a huge amount.)
Our actors paid tribute to the seniors by bringing almost everything back from last summer’s moments. According to the workshop schedule, we started our work with warm-up exercises and tuning under the guidance of the two present directors. Relaxing, concentration exercises, short études, and the indispensable improvisation game were followed by the renovation rehearsals based on solid text knowledge.
Milán Vajda directed Abigail, Zoltán Papp brought back the marriage of Mihály Kocsonya to life. The directors themselves were amazed at how much remained from the setups, gestures, and ensemble play months ago. It was not a problem that the two plays had common roles; the talented actors effortlessly portrayed the different characters.
At the end of the day, we held an impromptu presentation for the mentors and helpers. The “premiere” was well received with words of praise from the audience. We all rejoiced in the fact that almost all the present actor seedlings are applying to the Drama Section of the Interdisciplinary Arts Camp again this year.
Thank you for this wonderful Saturday!
Photos taken during the day can be viewed in the Gallery.