The European Musical Theatres Union was established in the summer to create more joint productions, promote exchanges of artists and productions, organise workshops and festivals, make joint applications for European Union funding, and create a professional forum. The first festival of its members - theatres from Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Russia - was called Life is Beautiful and was hosted by the Ion Dacian Operetta Theatre of Bucharest.
Silvia was not the only production that showed off Hungarian talent at the festival. Attila Béres, chief director of the Budapest Operetta Theatre, directed a production of Baroness Lili by the State Theatre of Musical Comedy from Saint Petersburg and The Merry Widow by the National Operetta Theatre Ion Dacian in partnership with the Budapest Operetta and Musical Theatre. Members of the Budapest Operetta and Musical Theatre also performed at a gala event at the festival together with their colleagues from Romania, the Czech Republic and Ukraine.
Photo: Péter Kollányi (MTI)
