The theater company of Slavic studies on stage

An adaptation of Tolstoy's novel, Anna Karenina, was staged with great success by the students of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Debrecen (UD) in the Liszt Hall of the Faculty of Music. The performance, which premiered on April 24 was directed by Angelika Molnár, an associate professor of the institute.

This current production is meant to be a continuation of the series started last year. Then, Boris Akunin's “The Seagull” was presented by the students of the institute with the intention to establish a tradition in the future. As both of these pieces are integral parts of the course on Russian literature, the performance also aims to bring the subject matter closer to the students, thus making it a more enjoyable experience for them.


For the production of the play in Hungarian, a new translation of the original novel by László Gy. Horváth of was used. An outstanding job in preparing the script and staging the play was done by Dávid Szebényi, a third-year student.

The part of Anna Karenina was played by Gabriella Vass, who is also a third-year BA major in Slavic studies, while Vronsky’s part was played by first-year MA student András Bozorády. All the "actors and actresses" in the play are in fact students of the institute, enrolled in undergraduate, minor, teacher training and master’s programs.


The story of Anna Karenina was chosen due to the influence of the amateur company's previous theatre experiences, while the entire staging process, including the preparation and the rehearsals, took almost a year to complete.
“It is of particular value and significance that quite a few of the students participating in the Slavic Studies program could share an important community experience in addition to gaining literary knowledge through the play, since the production of the performance was supported by a considerable number of background assistants (such as technicians as well as props and set designers) in addition to the performers,” said Ildikó Regéczi, Director of the Institute of Slavic Studies at UD’s Faculty of Humanities, to the portal hirek.unideb.hu.


The series is planned to be continued with another performance next year, when the institute's theatre company intends to stage an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita.

Press Centre – BZs