Thirty Years of Hungarian Theater in Arad (1918-1948)

The provided excerpts, taken from "30 years of theater in Arad" by Ujj János, translated into English by Gabriel Roman, chronicle the challenging history of Hungarian minority theater in Transylvania and specifically Arad between the world wars and into the early communist era. The text details the Romanian authorities' initial policy of "tolerance," which quickly devolved into mandatory censorship and a lack of state support compared to Romanian theaters, despite political promises. It describes three periods in the theater's history, marked by decline and attempts at self-organization, highlighting the struggles with concession fees, censorship, and police harassment, including incidents where performances were shut down. Furthermore, the source provides numerous examples of the Arad theater's repertoire, focusing on popular entertainment like operettas and comedies, while also acknowledging the staging of classics and noting prominent actors and cultural figures associated with the city. Ultimately, the narrative concludes with the suspension of the Hungarian section of the People's Theater in Arad in 1948 as the Communist Party tightened its control over all cultural activities. Download the Romanian version of the book "The name stays Arad!" and other titles from the digital library for free here: https://www.arad.zone/biblioteca-digitala/biblioteca-digitala-copy