Debrecen4U
May 20, 2026
Csokonai National Theatre Announces 17 Premieres for Next Season
Csokonai National Theatre will welcome audiences in the 2026/27 season with 17 new premieres, alongside a diverse programme of classical and contemporary dramas, operas, musicals, dance performances, and youth productions.
According to the theatre’s announcement on 19 May 2026, variety and genre diversity will remain key priorities in the upcoming season. In addition to the 17 new productions, 15 previous performances will stay in repertoire, offering audiences a broad selection of performances aimed at multiple age groups and artistic tastes. The programme will also include seven classroom theatre productions designed to bring younger generations closer to the world of theatre. Youth and educational initiatives continue to form an important pillar of the institution’s work.
Among the prose productions, audiences will find major works of both world literature and Hungarian drama. The season will open with the youth comedy Izzik a galagonya (“The Hawthorn Glows”), exploring themes of identity, belonging, and shared experiences among young people. “One of the central pillars of the season’s concept is balance – not only between classical and contemporary works, but also between prose and musical productions, as well as in the overall number of performances staged,” explained Dániel Vadász, director of the theatre.
The season will feature Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, examining the tension between female destiny and the desire for freedom, alongside William Shakespeare’s Richard III, which focuses on power and manipulation. Tom Schulman’s Dead Poets Society will explore questions of identity and freedom, while Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children presents the human side of war.
The repertoire will also include Ken Ludwig’s comedy Leading Ladies, offering a lighter theatrical experience. Contemporary Hungarian drama will be represented by Jeremiás avagy Isten hidege, adapted from the works of János Térey. “This is also a crucial moment for Debrecen’s self-image, self-understanding, and identity. The text itself holds particular significance for Debrecen, just as many of János Térey’s other writings do,” added István Puskás.
The opera and musical theatre programme also promises a strong season. Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata will be directed by Gábor Bakos-Kiss, while Aida will also be staged as an open-air production at the Nagyerdei Open-Air Stage. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin will bring a lyrical operatic atmosphere to the stage, while the musical genre will be represented by West Side Story directed by Tamás Juronics. “Although the genre has its own charm, and the music naturally fits it, the subject matter itself is far more serious,” Juronics noted.
The musical line-up will also include Béla Zerkovitz’s operetta Csókos asszony (“The Kissing Lady”) and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow, which will appear among the summer preview performances. Younger audiences will be targeted with a musical adaptation of The Little Prince. The theatre’s dance company is preparing two new productions: Hollywood, inspired by the atmosphere of the film industry, and Troy, which reimagines the mythological story through a contemporary dance-theatre approach.
As part of the Csokonai Youth Programme, a new classroom production titled Cain and Abel Enter the Ring will engage secondary school students through interactive storytelling. Several other classroom productions will also remain in the repertoire.
The theatre’s major cultural event, the MagdaFeszt autumn festival, will continue to focus on female creators and women’s stories. Literary evenings, the Csokonai Salon’s discussion and musical events, and special literature classes will also continue.
“Our aim is not simply to become the best provincial theatre, but to become the best theatre possible — first in the region, then in Hungary, and ultimately perhaps even at a European level, progressing step by step. Debrecen provides every condition and opportunity for that,” said Lóránt Bocskor-Salló, deputy director of the theatre.
Advance season ticket sales begin on 15 June 2026. Some subscription packages will be available until 31 July, after which additional ticket options will also go on sale.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
