Erkel Theatre closes 

The curtain went down at the Erkel Theatre last Monday to allow long overdue restoration work. However, financing for the work is not yet in place and it is still unclear when the work will begin. The theatre is tentatively scheduled to reopen in 2011.

The reconstruction of the building has been mooted for years and has become increasingly urgent. “The technical state of the building is deteriorating - due to the necessary structural investigation of the building and some repair works, the start of the season was delayed by a few weeks,” said Márton Karczag, press secretary of the State Opera.

In 2005, a public private partnership was planned, but the tender was called off last year. According to Judit Várkonyi, the press officer of the State Opera, potential financing plans are currently being considered and talks are taking place between the Economy Ministry and the Education and Culture Ministry. At present, however, no exact information is available on how the reconstruction will be financed.

The works are expected to take two to three years. Lajos Vass, the director of the Hungarian State Opera, hopes that the Erkel Theatre on Köztársaság tér can be reopened in 2011, but there is no guarantee that this will happen. 

The 96-year-old theatre opened in 1911 as the Népopera (People’s Opera), but later also served as a vaudeville theatre, cinema and cultural centre. In 1951, the Erkel Theatre entered the management of the Hungarian State Opera. Since then, Budapest’s largest theatre, which seats 2,400, has acted as a second stage for the State Opera. During the reconstruction work, the Thália Theatre in Nagymező utca will be used instead.

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved