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What Katona József Theater has done by offering discounts to members of the Democratic Coalition (DK) is very wrong and unacceptable, said Attila Vidnyánszky, president of the Hungarian Playhouse Association. Márta Vajda, the executive secretary of the Hungarian Theater Association also finds the case unprecedented, but says it could be a misunderstanding, reported Magyar Nemzet.
“What the Katona József Theater did was unacceptable,” said Attila Vidnyánszky, the director of the National Theater and president of the Hungarian Theater Association. He was reacting to media reports according to which the Democratic Coalition (DK), the largest Hungarian opposition party, is offering discounted tickets to the Katona József Theater to its own members. Members of Ferenc Gyurcsány’s party will be able to buy tickets for performances at a discount of twenty to thirty percent until the end of November.
Attila Vidnyánszky. Photo: Facebook Nemzeti Színház
As Attila Vidnyánszky pointed out,
“a responsible theater should only offer discounts to people who are less fortunate, to social groups in any kind of difficulty.”
“I can hardly find an explanation for this in the case of the Democratic Coalition,” he maintained. Once again they have crossed a line and are opening doors that will be difficult to close. This is an outrageous attitude,” the theater director explained.
The theater society’s executive secretary, Márta Vajda, also expressed her opinion regarding the case saying that theaters can decide for themselves who they give discounts to. It can be a professional ticket, but it can also be given to people with disabilities or poor financial means. Often they offer discounts to people living in the district where the theater is located, usually pensioners.
“For a theater to subsidize a political party to the extent of giving its members cheaper tickets is not professionally justified, and I cannot cite any previous examples of this,”
said Márta Vajda. The Katona József Theater, as one of the most visited theaters, has not taken a stand on political issues, although it is strongly engaged in current issues, but it does not do so at party level, she added.
When asked why it is that their performances, which aim to sensitize society, almost exclusively reflect the left-wing narrative, and there have even been examples of plays inspired by the private life of government politicians, the manager said: “I do not think that the left-wing narrative is the only one that is presented in the theater, because they deal with patriotism as much as globalism.”
Via Magyar Nemzet; Featured Image: Facebook Katona József Színház