Category: Theatres

Today’s Operetta Theatre was built to a design by the famous Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer in 1894. The giant stage of the auditorium faced two levels of intimate boxes arranged in a semi-circle, and a dance floor provided a sufficiently large space for the waltz, polka, mazurka and the galop. ull reconstruction was carried out between 1999 and 2001. The most advanced European stage machinery was installed, the beautiful original ornamentation was restored. Today the theatre has 917 seats and the auditorium is air-conditioned. Operettas are performed with German surtitle and musicals with English surtitle for our foreign guests.

The National Dance Theatre has one of the most beautiful, mellowed old theatre buildings of Budapest, to the National Dance Theatre, situated in the historical and intimate atmosphere of the Buda Castle district. Performances of all kinds of dance — classical ballet, folk, modern, and contemporary — are presented to the audience of children, youth and adults. The repertoire of National Dance Theatre primarily consists of performers that are members of the Hungarian Dancers’ Association. The repertoire is then completed by guest performances – jazz, classical, gipsy folk music, performances of the Budapest Chamber Opera, the Deutsches Theater Budapest. Apart from providing a stage for the art of dance in Budapest, the National Dance Theatre organizes performances and international festivals throughout the country inviting Hungarian and foreign professional companies. The National Dance Theatre also offers its venues for events, such as presentations, partner parties, press conferences, award ceremonies, balls etc.

The construction of the Uránia’s building was finished in the mid-1890s on today’s Rákóczi avenue. The Uránia fulfilled a scientific, educational role for 17 years. The Uránia’s interior was first rebuilt in 1917, so that its halls may be suitable for film screenings. In 1930 it became a UFA Cinema, modelled on the Berlin Universum Film AG. In 1945 the first film screening after the war was held here. Both before and after the war the Uránia hosted various film galas, premieres and public events. The reconstruction finished in 2002 brought back the atmosphere of the 1930s as well as the operation of the theatre stage. The Cinema Palace was extended by two smaller screening rooms, so now 543 comfortable and elegant seats welcome old and new Uránia fans. The site lists films in original language with Hungarian subtitles.

The Katona József Theatre is the best known Hungarian theatre company – a public theatre, supported mainly by the City of Budapest. The Theatre has extensive international connections and it is a founding member of the Union of European Theatres. The company regularly embarks on international tours and to date has performed in more than 60 cities of the world from Paris to Chicago, from London to Bogota, from Milan to Adelaide. The productions and artists of the Katona have received numerous important national and international awards.