Egressy Béni National Drama Festival

On behalf of the National Council of Csemadok, the Regional Committee of the Košice-environs of Csemadok is organizing the Egressy Béni National Drama Festival in Szepsi, as the main organizer, together with its co-organizer, the Hungarian Cultural Institute of Slovakia. Drama groups can apply in the genres of classical drama, folk drama, variety show, dramatized folk play. ; Winning performances that have successfully participated in the competition program of the Jókai Days are not eligible to compete at the festival. ; ; History: ; ; The Egressy Béni National Drama Festival is one of the largest parades of the amateur drama movement in the Upper Hungary. A four-day event that was born in Királyhelmec, but spent its adolescence in Szepsi and Buzita. True to tradition, it takes place at two locations. In Szepsi and Buzita. This year, the competition will take place between November 12 and 15, 2020 (Thursday - Sunday). Every year, theater lovers, amateur actors regardless of age or profession, and the audience look forward to breaking away from the monotonous everyday life for a short time and forgetting about their problems in the allure of the stage. The Lakoma festival newspaper faithfully reports on the acting and performing groups, the performances presented, the festival atmosphere, and the award winners. The professional jury awards numerous awards to the actors taking to the stage, evaluates numerous performances, ideas, and performances, trying to reward all the good that it perceives in the cavalcade of diverse themes and genres. ; ; The atmosphere of the festival has been family-friendly and intimate since the beginning. This event is about community building, atmosphere, enthusiasm, and the joy of playing together, as much as it is about rivalry. The festival also encourages amateur actors from the Highlands to continue their work. Every year, lovers of acting, amateur actors regardless of age or profession, and the audience look forward to a short break from the monotonous everyday life, to forget about problems, to be recharged and start over with a surplus in their hearts and souls due to a different and inexplicable flow of energy. ; ; The number of applicants for the festival is large every year. In the finals, 12-16 acting groups that have advanced to the finals perform, with approx. 250-350 actors, but the number of performing groups is always expanded by the visiting team with two or three guest performances. The meeting also provides an opportunity for young people of other nationalities to introduce themselves. The performances are viewed by a total of approx. 400-600 interested people per day over the three competition days. For several years now, the organizers have been organizing further training for the youngest and aspiring amateur actors, in order to make the festival days more high-quality and effective, and to stimulate them to further work. They also organize accompanying programs, a photo exhibition from the past year's photo material, a visit to the renovated mill in Buzita, and a dance house for young people. ; ; In terms of stage genres, among the performances presented, we can watch diverse stage scenes every year, including classical plays, cabaret scenes, village scenes, chamber plays, comedies, children's tragedies, fairy tale theater and children's performances. The festival is not about competition, competition, or contest, but about the joy of theater, about meetings, informal friendly conversations, and getting to know each other. The organizers do everything they can to have a community-building role among young people. ; ; On the first day of the festival, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place in the square in front of the Catholic church in Szepsi at the public statue of the festival's namesake, Béni Egressy. ; ; After the ceremonial opening, the organizers will present the Béni Egressy Festival Award for the dedicated work done in the amateur theater movement in the Highlands. The festival's organizing committee decides on the awarding of the award in accordance with the statute of the Festival Award: ; - in 2018, János Dósa Juhász, a theater professional from Balogfala, one of the founders of the festival; - in 2017, Ferenc Boda, as the former secretary of the Csemadok Košice Regional Committee, who was the main organizer of the National Festival of Village Actors from the beginning until his retirement, received the award. ; - In 2016, Andrea Bodon, the leader and director of the KGSZT in Košice, which is celebrating its 20th birthday, received it; - In 2015, Irén Illésné Popália, the leader and director of the Bodrogközi Színjátsók from Királyhelmec, received it. ; - In 2014, Judit Balik, the leader and director of the Mics Károly acting group from Ipolynyék, and in 2013, Zsuzsa Szvorák, the leader and director of the Apropó Kisszínpad in Fülek, received the worthy recognition. ; ; After the opening and the award ceremony, Hungarian and local actors will greet the audience with a festive cultural program. Folk singers, folk groups, folk dancers and zither bands from the Bódva Valley will perform at the ceremonial opening. ; ; In the Upper Highlands, there are regional parades in three districts, where the best acting groups in the district are selected in the middle of the year in the presence of a professional jury, who take part in the competition. 8-16 competition performances participate in the national competition every year, in addition to which 3-4 guest performance groups always perform. ; ; The competition takes place on the first three working days of the festival based on the work plan developed in advance. In the evenings, the three or four-member professional jury evaluates and analyzes what they have seen, and encourages the groups to continue working. The professional jury awards at least 15 prizes each year: the festival's main prize, two level prizes, the best direction prize, the best male and female performance prizes, the jury's special prize, and so on. The most promising young talent receives a special prize, the Péter Németh Prize, and a commemorative plaque. A special award will also be given by the editorial staff of the Lakoma festival newspaper. ; ; On the fourth day of the festival, Sunday morning, the members of the acting groups, their leaders, directors, jury members, as well as the members of the organizing committee, additional organizers and helpers, will jointly evaluate the festival, discuss suggestions and useful advice, and make plans for next year's amateur acting festival. ; ;