Mission Statement and Activities

Devoted to the better trafficking of new plays and to inspiring coproductions between different countries, PanoDrama has had the following activities in the past two years:

Activities of the past two years

Rehearsed readings
(an intense week of rehearsal with outstanding actors with a final reading in front of an audience ending in a discussion)

PanoDrama regards it as its mission to find great new plays that have not been translated yet and have them translated into Hungarian, or in case of Hungarian dramas into other languages, thereby making it available for future productions. Lacking these endeavours, the Hungarian system of subsidies does not allow for new plays to be translated before a production is guaranteed, and since most directors - except for the youngest generation - do not read or speak any languages but Hungarian, dramaturgs and translators must often translate with no commission and hope that there judgment of the play being of interest to Hungarian theatre makers and audiences will produce them and pay for the translation, as well.

PanoDrama programmes and organises these readings and tries to also publish the plays in an informative booklet on the give theatre culture and contemporary drama (three such booklets have been published already).

2008
First series of international plays in rehearsed readings at the Hungarian Theatertreffen, POSzT Juha Jokela: Mobile horror, Arne Lygre: Shadow of a Boy Lukas Bärfuss The Bus

Two of the three plays are going to be produced in this season.

Sergi Belbel: Blood - rehearsed reading at the Kaposvár Csiky Gergely Theatre, followed by a full production half a year later

2007

two contemporary Hungarian plays’ rehearsed readings at the Hungarian Cultural Center in New York, one directed by one of the leading young directors, Jay Scheib in tandem with Anna Lengyel
Hamvai: Castel Felice (translation commissioned for this occasion), Háy János: Géza Boy

Sarah Ruhl: Clean House - in the four-year series of rehearsed readings by the renowned Krétakör Theatre, but produced by Ms. Lengyel and directed by Andor Lukáts

PanoDrama productions

2008
Sarah Ruhl: Clean House
With the Sanyi és Aranka Theatre and an exquisite cast of leading Hungarian actresses and one actor to open on October 10th
directed by Andor Lukáts

Martin Crimp: Attempts on Her Life
Hungarian premiere
With Mobil Front Workshop the first production of any play by the modern English classic 
The show won the award for Best Director at the Festival of Independent Productions.

Untitled Mars (this title may change)
an original work, a US-Hungarian coproduction which opened at a leading Off Broadway Theatre PS122 in New York city with a three-week run
directed by Jay Scheib
The production had the highest critical acclaim, won an Obie Award for set design and is nominated for the Hewes Award for both set and costume design

The show is brought to the Budapest National Theatre by its Hungarian producer, Anna Lengyel and will open there on the 28th of November 2008

2007
Gaia
German-Hungarian coproduction
an original work conceived by the two performers Verena Specht-Ronique, Anna Szandtner and the producer/dramaturg Anna Lengyel
ran in Berlin, Frankfurt, Budapest and Tasmania

PanoDrama publications

On young US women writers with the playtext of Sarah Ruhl’s Clean House
Conceived, written/edited by Anna Lengyel, published by PanoDrama

Krétakörkép1: Finnország (a book about Finnish theatre and drama with a playtext, portraits and interviews) with the playtext of Kristian Smeds' Frozen Images
Conceived, written/edited by Anna Lengyel
published by Krétakör

On Contemporary Catalonian Drama
Conceived, written/edited by Anna Lengyel with the playtext of Sergi Belbel's Blood
edite by the Kaposvári Csiky Gergely Theatre


Plans for 2008-2009

March
Symposium on Contemporary Drama Trafficking and Play Development

Finno-ugric or Irish week
rehearsed readings
guest performances
films from the region
exhibition of costume, set and light designers
debates
publication(s)

Production
Spring
Mika Myllaho: Chaos - a play for three women
to be directed by the author in Hungary

Play development workshop
November-January
thematic workshop for young aspiring playwrights as part of the Goethe Instiute’s international project After the Fall at the National Theatre

workshop conceived, programmed by Anna Lengyel for PanoDrama and led by the renowned author, László Márton

Rehearsed readings

November 29.
Csaba Mikó’s Father in German at the Vienna Volkstheater
conceived, programmed and directed by Anna Lengyel for PanoDrama

January 30
reading of the winner of the playwrights’ workshop at the National Theatre

June
reading of three international plays at the Hungarian Theatertreffen POSzT

At a still undecided time two contemporary Hungarian plays in Berlin in German at the Hungarian Cultural Center

Publications

in Hungarian
new US women writers (see above)

in German:
on contemporary Hungarian theatre and drama with a portrait of Csaba Mikó and the playtext of Father
Conceived, written/edited by Anna Lengyel
published by the Volkstheater

in English
Hungarian Theater in Numbers
a free publication with basic information and figures on Hungarian theatre to be distributed abroad