The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj will participate in the 17th Hungarian Days of Cluj with three performances. From August 21–23, audiences can see the productions Abigél, Exit the King, and I Am Not Here. The three-day theater program also marks the company’s first performances in Cluj for the 2026–2027 season.

Year after year, the Hungarian Days of Cluj are one of the defining events of the city’s cultural life, welcoming residents and visitors alike with concerts, literary and historical programs, exhibitions, discussions, family events, and theatrical performances. The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj is once again joining the series of events this year with three performances that differ in both genre and theatrical style.

On Friday, August 21, at 7:00 pm, the musical adaptation of Magda Szabó’s novel Abigél will open the theater program in the Main Hall. The production, featuring music by Tibor Kocsák, a libretto by Szilárd Somogyi, and lyrics by Tibor Miklós, was directed by Enikő Eszenyi. The story centers on Georgina Vitay, whom her father unexpectedly sends to the Matula Institute — which operates under strict rules — during World War II. In this world that is foreign and closed off to the teenage girl, the true reasons behind her father’s decision slowly unfold before her, while the mysterious figure of Abigél plays an increasingly important role in the story. Premiered in December 2025, the production quickly became a favorite among audiences.

On Saturday, August 22, at 8:00 pm, Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist drama Exit the King will be presented, directed by Gábor Tompa, as a studio performance in the Main Hall.

“Gábor Tompa’s production is a call to the audience to reflect on the ‘meaning of life,’ but also on the inevitability of death. The staging itself transforms Eugène Ionesco’s text into a theatrical experience that is as profound as it is unsettling. Accompanied by Csaba Boros’s music, which highlights the central theme — death — and signals the passage of time, the erosion of the king’s inner world, the transition from the illusion of power to reality, and the acceptance of reality.” — wrote Demostene Șofron about the performance.

The production was selected for the program of the 36th edition of the National Theatre Festival (FNT) in Bucharest, and it will also be featured at the 2nd Black Sea International Theater Festival in Varna.

The series of performances by the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj as part of Hungarian Days will conclude with the play I Am Not Here on Sunday, August 23, at 8:00 pm at the Studio. The production is based on Zsolt Karácsonyi’s work Belső tízezer; the stage adaptation was written by Kata Gyarmati and Kinga Mezei, with the concept and direction by Kinga Mezei. The play centers on the Old Man, whose memories are increasingly slipping away, blending into one another, repeating themselves, and disappearing. As the boundaries of reality gradually become uncertain, his deepest self continues to search for anchors among the fragments of memory. I Am Not Here premiered in June as the final production of the 2025/2026 season and represents a unique theatrical reimagining of a contemporary Transylvanian Hungarian literary work.

All three performances are in Hungarian, with Romanian and English subtitles.

Tickets are available at the box office of the Hungarian Theatre of Cluj, as well as online at huntheater.biletmaster.ro.