"Our national actor at the time of their awakening consciousness were searching for ancestors, and so found László Kelemen, whose memory was preserved by pioneers relatively more than that of his contemporaries who were all lost in the mist of impersonality. [...] The History of Hungarian Theatre [...] László Kelemen was made leader that he had never been do what and that he never wanted to be"- wrote the theatre historian Mrs. Pukánszky, Ilona Kádár in 1940 in a study titled 'The First Performances of our Actors'.

Mrs. Pukánszky did not mean to take the credit for our former heroes, even tried to place the honourable theatre director in his rightful place: 'László Kelemen is not a leader, he is more than that: an honourable symbol. His name entails all the anonymous, impersonal also entails; he is the Unknown Soldier of Hungarian actors, and when we commemorate him, we commemorate all the actors."

László Kelemen László is however, remembered as the first Hungarian theatre director. Without a doubt, he played a leading role in organizing the first Hungarian theatre company, in its maintenance and setting up its bills. And it is also true that from the early history of Hungarian theatre, he was the only one who most resembled an ideal theatre director at the end of the 19th century.

The exhibition remembers the early history of Hungarian theatre on occasion of the 200th anniversary of the death of László Kelemen. We recall the difficulties of opening a theatre, locations available, the first plays on the repertoire of the first theatre companies focusing on the life's work of László Kelemen. The assembly presents the cult of László Kelemen, the work at the first Hungarian theatre and also some literary works on the figure of László Kelemen.

curator: Mirella Csiszár 

(The Bajor Gizi Theatre Museum is closed from 22 December 2014 until 13 January 2015.)