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Játékszín

alias Intimate Cabaret 1917-1923, Ferenczy Cabaret 1912-191, Podium Cabaret 1939, Teréz Avenue Cabaret 1923-1939, Pest Cabaret 1913-1916, Interesting Cabaret 1916-1917
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Important events

(detail)1912 | opening

History

Architectural description

Nowadays the theatre is located under the number 48 of Teréz Boulevard in Budapest. In 1898, in the former Fabriken Gasse no.21 in a five-storey house’s back yard opened the cabaret. The long room was originally used for garage or coach-storey where the club opened. Here were elevated the ancestor of the Western Railway Station; the so-called “indo” (starter) house which was destroyed due to the construction new apartment building.

In 1912 the venue opened under the name of Ferenczy Cabaret run by a mill owner and an architect. The former director of the Little Theatre in Városliget, actor Kornél Sziklay, rebuilt the place and broke the walls looking to the boulevard and replaced the theatre entrance to Teréz Boulevard.

Under the name of Teréz Boulevard Stage; the architect Frigyes Dévényi transformed the plans; the construction was managed by Dezső Székely. The stage was enlarged with one-fourth part without destroying the formation of the auditorium. The old orchestra seats was abolished instead it back boxes was formed in order to satisfy the intimae needs of the visitors.

In 1959 the Hungarian Circus and Variety Company decided to rebuild the theatre in order that artists could fit on the stage. The width of the stage increased to 3.5 metres; the depth by 2 metres. During this time the new foyer was built, which connected the side of Teréz Boulevard with side of Jókai Street.

In 1988, the theatre was enlarged by buying a 56-square-metre plot from the Csemege Company.  Further 43. 5 square metres were bought from Taverna Company and from the pub located in Jókai Street to create a bar. The transition and visibility between Teréz Boulevard and Jókai Street still exists. The entrance of the theatre can hardly be distinguished from the other doorways. The flyloft was formed by buying two-floor apartments and connecting them to the theatre. The administration was replaced from the ground floor up to the first floor.

 

History

In the five-storey block of thirty-seven flats built in 1898 at 21 Fabriken Gasse – later Gyár utca, now Jókai utca – an underground garage was provided for the convenience of the inhabitants. On 30 October 1912 the Ferenczy Cabaret, under Károly Ferenczy, opened there. On 1 February 1913, after three performances, the Cabaret closed because of falling receipts. In November 1913 the owners of the premises, a mill-owner and a builder, authorised Béla Paulini to open a new theatre with the name of Pesti Cabaret. This company too was only able to sustain itself for two months. In 1916 the comic actor Kornél Sziklay, sometime director of the Kis Színkör in the Városliget, took over the premises. We have him to thank for moving the main entrance to Teréz körút, thereby giving greater publicity to the Érdekes Kabaré (Interesting Cabaret), which functioned until the summer of 1917. The new owner, István Dobos, entrusted the management to Andor Bella, on 18 September 1917 the Intím Cabaret opened, and on 1 December 1923 the Terézkörút Theatre.
Aladár Roboz, as managing director, was at the head of the company that controlled the theatre, the artistic director was Endre Nagy and the director Béla Salamon. The hall was refurbished by the master builder Dezső Székely to the plans of Frigyes Dévényi. The stage was extended, but even with the removal of the stalls boxes the auditorium became no smaller; it now seated 364. It was in this theatre and on this stage that László Vadnai's unforgettable pair Hacsek and Sajó first appeared, played by Vilmos Komlós and Jenő Herczeg, and Dezső Kellér first acted as compère. The cabaret functioned until 1938. In 1939 the Kamara Variety was formed under György Sallay, keeping its name until 1951, and continuing to function as Artista Variety until 1954.
 
In 1954 it resumed the name of Kamara Variety, but acrobatic and variety numbers continued to fill the programme. In 1959 the Hungarian Circus and Variety Company, to which Kamara Variety belonged, decided to rebuild the premises because it needed a bigger stage for acrobatic turns. The width of the stage was increased by 3.5 metres and its depth by 2 metres. Kamara Variety was shut down in 1977, and on 4 October 1978 Játékszín opened. This functioned primarily as a receiving house, but it did also put on its own productions. The first performance was András Kozák's production of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Katalin Kőváry's reworking, with music by the Kaláka ensemble.
 
In 1980 a partial renovation of the premises took place, and in 1988 it was fully renovated sponsored by MÜBER. The surface area of the theatre was increased by the companies Csemege and Taverna by 93.5 square metres. Two flats were also acquired and altered to become the rope loft. After Mátyás Giricz, Gábor Berényi was diretor from 1 December 1982 to 30 May 1992, and his successor was Lajos Balázsovits. From 1 April 1999 Játékszín became the Játékszín Teréz Körút Theatre non-profitmaking Company.

 

 

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