The National Theater launches a car entitled “Theatre the whole world” at the Flower Carnival in Debrecen. Diána Széles, deputy mayor of Debrecen, Attila Vidnyánszky, Kossuth Prize-winning director, general manager of the National Theater, and Zsolt Antal, deputy rector for educational development and science at the University of Theater and Film, reported on the message of the composition and the visit of the students of the University of Theater and Film to Debrecen in a press conference.
Deputy Mayor Diána Széles greeted the students participating in the university’s summer academy with pleasure. As she said, it is a matter of pride for the city that, after last year, the members of the performing arts “freshman team” are here for the second time, for whom Debrecen is the gateway to their university years. According to her words, the presentation of the National Theater’s upcoming flower cart is unique in its kind, as it has never been seen before in the history of the Debrecen Flower Carnival. And it is also unique because it is now surrounded by many people who are called to show the values of Hungarian culture here and beyond our borders. The message of the flower carnival is practically the same: the presentation of Hungarian culture in the spirit of love and togetherness. And this flower cart is also unique because it draws attention to an event that has not yet taken place in Hungary: the 2023 Theater Olympics. Both the country and Debrecen dare to dream big and aim to host as many world events as possible. For Debrecen, this has typically been achieved through the organization of sports events, but next year, thanks to the National Theatre, the city will also be one of the venues for the Theater Olympiad. And this shows that Debrecen is able to be part of a cultural world event because it is a city with a receptive and understanding audience for culture.
Attila Vidnyánszky, the general director of the National Theater, was the first to highlight the importance of their student camp in Debrecen. As he said, it is important for young people to get to know the world in which they will work, for whom they will work, and for whom they must serve. And it is important that this is done in Debrecen, one of the most exciting, thriving, and developing Hungarian cities with a thriving culture. He expressed his hope that they will come next year as well. Speaking about the Theater Olympiad, he emphasized: that we should not only be proud of it, but also very proud, because as the organizer of the event, Hungary joins the ranks of countries such as China, Russia, Japan, and India. The fact that our country was granted the right to organize the Theater Olympiad is a recognition of the professional rank of not only the National Theatre but the entire Hungarian theater life. The world’s greatest theater masters will come and present the best of their performances. The event is intended for a wide audience, but also emphatically for young people to open up and embrace the extraordinary miracle that the world theater represents. And Debrecen will not simply be one of the venues for the Theater Olympics, but one of the main venues. The goal of launching the flower cart at this year’s flower carnival is to let as many people as possible know about the 2023 Theater Olympiad. As Attila Vidnyánszky said, the central symbol is the ark. The place we can escape to. The place where we can get through the hard times. The place is also the theater – because the theater is also a place of refuge. Both those who make theater and those who come to the theater in the evenings are recharged and live their lives with new energy. “That’s our job.” Let’s create celebrations – said Attila Vidnyánszky. – The Theater Olympics will be one of our biggest holidays from a theatrical point of view, and the world carnival has been one of the country’s most wonderful summer holidays for decades. The flower cart is now being prepared, this little barge of ours will now be completed and become beautiful, where young actors and students will tour the city on August 20, with which many, many theater fans and many, many Hungarian people will be informed that what we are preparing for in 2023.
According to Zsolt Antal, vice chancellor of the University of Theater and Film Arts, this particular ark does not want to save culture, but to maintain it, just as the ark survives on the water. Just as the ark is a symbol, so is the city, Debrecen. Here, we see imprints from Hungarian culture and Hungarian history that are still alive today, without which we cannot even accurately formulate our own identity. As he said, the participants of the university’s summer academy return home with a great deal of experience. The academy is an essential step for students preparing for theater arts, motion picture arts, and the media before starting their graduate education. It brings together, represents meeting points between all students of all majors, and provides common experiences, based on which it is possible to work together in a completely different way. It is important for the teacher to be inspired by the student and the student to be inspired by the teacher. This is essential in art. This was the first step in creating teamwork and community building. If there’s a goal, there’s a way to get there. This journey has now started for the students in Debrecen – said Zsolt Antal.
After that, under the leadership of Márton Bagány, the director of the Brand and Quality Management Directorate of the University of Theater and Film, and the main organizer of the summer academy, the students placed messages in the flower cart being prepared, and on the flower cart, which reflect the love, knowledge, culture, art inherent in them. , the will for freedom. The message writers were also joined by the participants of the press conference. Attila Vidnyánszky indicated that those coming to next year’s Theater Olympiad have already been told to bring similar messages, which will be placed on the barge that will float on the Danube from Margitsziget to the National Theater on April 16, 2023, as part of the opening of the event. And all the messages will be sent to the next Theater Olympiad, where they will be further multiplied.
During the press conference, Deputy Mayor Diána Széles also drew attention to the fact that one of the famous events of the carnival week related to the Debrecen Flower Carnival will be the bicycle Night Ride on August 19, for which the gathering starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Ködszínház (Pápa János Pál II square). She expressed her hope that this time again thousands of people will participate with their decorated bicycles in this spectacular night parade, showing that Debrecen’s cycling culture is also strong.
Debrecen City Hall
