The Harag György Company Presents The Nora Project, a Studio Production

The Harag György Company will present its first production of the season on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Ács Alajos Studio. The performance was created in a highly unconventional way: it emerged from the actors’ improvisations and group discussions, incorporating excerpts from Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama A Doll’s House. Following the collaborative creative process, director Gergő Frumen wrote the final script.

This is not Frumen’s first work as a director. In recent years, audiences in Satu Mare have seen his productions of The Maids, The Iron Puller, and Illusions. However, this marks his debut as a playwright.

“We do not really talk to one another. Or if we do, we often fail to listen. That makes genuine conversation difficult. Talking about things that need to be expressed, things that hurt, make us uncomfortable, are difficult to articulate, or that we feel ashamed of because of long-standing social conventions. For me, the most important question of this production is whether we are capable of connecting with one another, recognizing ourselves in someone else, or simply accepting that experiences and viewpoints different from our own can also be valid—especially when discussing subjects that already feel like dangerous territory in public discourse,” says the director about the creation of the performance.

They gather regularly. Yet today, somehow, everything seems different. Perhaps it is the music or the silence. Maybe the unusual venue, or the newcomer attending such a gathering for the first time. Perhaps it is an Ibsen play that sparks a conversation—or perhaps it is all of these things together. Since its premiere in 1879, Ibsen’s Nora (A Doll’s House), one of the playwright’s best-known works, has remained a fixture on stages around the world. Nora’s decision to leave her seemingly ideal marriage was considered shocking at the time and turned the play into a scandalous sensation. Its advocacy for women’s rights and its contribution to discussions about women’s social status inspired countless reinterpretations throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This production, however, does not retell the familiar Ibsen story. Instead, it was born around Nora, because of Nora, and through Nora, based on the creative actors’ improvisations and conversations. It is not so much about Nora as it is about us. Seven women, seven destinies, and seven worldviews meet on this evening. As they trace the meaning of being a “Nora” in the present day, they may discover more than they expected. Warning: the same may happen to unsuspecting audience members.

The cast includes: Barbara Bogár, Evelyn Budizsa, Ágnes Keresztes, Éva Kovács, Tekla Laczkó, Zita László, and Anna Sosovicza.

The set designer is Gréti Fornvald, the costume designer is guest artist Katalin Mihály, and the dramaturg is guest artist Júlia Sándor. The music featured in the production was composed by László Bakk-Dávid. Prompters Katalin Varga and Anna Simionaș Varga, as well as stage manager Ritta Szabó, also contributed to the creation of the production.

The performance is recommended for audiences aged 16 and over.