Performance presented at the 2025 National Theater Festival

Recommended age: 12+

In Hungarian, with Romanian and English surtitles

“Janovics” is a visually rich, thought-provoking performance about a visionary artist who shaped Cluj’s theatre and film scene. Through his story, the show explores timeless questions of art, identity, and legacy.

“Janovics” is not a biographical play in the traditional sense. Directed by Attila Vidnyánszky Jr., it evokes not only an extraordinary life journey but also explores the spirit of a bygone era and the timeless questions of art.

At its center stands Jenő Janovics, a theatrical innovator and a pioneer of film production in Cluj, who created with unwavering dedication even amidst the storms of history.

The production is built on two main pillars: the dawn of filmmaking in Cluj and Janovics’s 1919 staging of Hamlet. Within this narrative framework, the past unfolds on stage in a kaleidoscopic manner, bringing to life the vibrant intellectual world of the turn of the century, the dilemmas of contemporary art, and the organic connection between Cluj’s local roots and universal concerns.

The atmosphere of Janovics is both local and universal: deeply embedded in the cultural heritage of Cluj, yet raising questions about art, vocation, and human integrity that resonate with every viewer.

”I see the Janovics production as an experiment, as a continuation of Young Barbarians. It’s like the second part of a series, a link, or rather a junction. As with Barbarians, Janovics is not a biographical production; it tries to get as far away from the confines of the theatre as possible, but unlike Barbarians, we aimed to recount the most significant period of the protagonist’s life in a “new form”, Janovics’ way.” (Attila Vidnyánszky jr.)

Produced by Hungarian State Theatre, Cluj

Photos István Biró

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