The runner-up at the conference was ?Peer Gynt? by the renowned Krétakör Theatre. The third-place spot was shared by the Szabadka Folk Theatre?s ?Closing Time? and the Illyés Gyula Hungarian Theatre?s production of ?Uncle Stevie?s Son?.
Ten companies participated at this year?s conference, including three from ethnic Hungarian regions in neighbouring countries. (The foreign companies took the top prize and the third prize.)
The event featured the best of today?s Hungarian theatre, including new plays and traditional productions, said critic Tamás Koltai, who was on the jury for the conference. It was a joy to see such a variety on the stage, he added.
The conference came to Eger after years of being hosted by Budapest and Gödöllő, on the outskirts of Budapest. In its first years, the conference offered a venue for productions which were critical of the regime. After the changeover to democracy, the festival became a place for theatre companies beyond Hungary?s borders.
Other productions at this year?s festival included ?We?re Not Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? by a troupe from Szolnok, ?E-chat? by a theatre in Kecskemét, and a Nyíregyház troupe?s rendering of ?The Witches of Eastwick?. Two young directors from Kaposvár put on productions called ?Firefighter? and ?Bluebeard?s Castle?.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
