IATC was delighted to hold an international young critics’ seminar in Debrecen, the second city of Hungary, during the eighth edition of the annual DESZKA Festival of Hungarian drama. Eight young critics from six countries, ranging from Sweden to Quebec/Canada, joined monitor Mark Brown (an experienced critic from Scotland/UK) for five days of intensive theatre-going, critical discussion and cultural exchange.

In addition to experiencing a festival programme which included works by Serbian/Hungarian master Josef Nadj and leading Hungarian theatre maker Béla Pintér, the seminar participants enjoyed a guided tour of Debrecen’s Deri Museum, which boasts an impressive ethnographic collection reflecting the traditional folk cultures of Hungary.

IATC thanks the DESZKA Festival and the Csokonai Theatre for their enthusiastic hosting of the seminar.

Photo: Mark Brown (centre, front row) and seminar participants with the polystyrene penguins from Times of Peace by the Csiky Gergely National Hungarian Theatre of Timisoara, Romania