Debrecen’s VOKE Egyetértés Cultural Center throws open its doors in 2026 with a packed, eclectic program of exhibitions, concerts, theater, and beloved neighborhood happenings. One of the region’s longest-standing venues, the Railway Workers’ Cultural Center (Vasutas Művelődési Központ) at 4034 Debrecen, Faraktár u. 67., keeps things open, ambitious, and defiantly high-quality. The calendar leans into big-name casts, classic stories, candlelit concerts, operetta nostalgia, and sharp-witted comedies, all under one roof.
A feleség negyvennél kezdődik
March 9, Monday, 7:00 p.m. — A masterfully tuned British comedy from the 1980s by Arne Sultan, Earl Barrett, and Ray Cooney, translated by Endre Beleznay. Linda is exhausted by 17 years of marriage, suburban English routine, and the looming fourth decade—especially her husband, George. He’s fine with everything as is. But when George dozes off mid-intimacy, Linda snaps: she wants sensuality, attention, love, life. She wants a divorce.
As their teenage son starts dating, the senile grandpa rattles off war tales, and well-meaning friends dish out terrible advice, poor George staggers through chaos. With a bracing pour from the bar cabinet, he chooses a perilous path: rejuvenate the marriage or else. With laugh-out-loud situations and irresistible characters, Fórum Színház’s latest comedy hits close to home.
Cast: George Harper — Endre Beleznay; Linda Harper — Gerda Pikali / Bernadett Gregor; Roger Dixon — Kristóf Németh / Dániel Suhajda; Betty Dixon — Bernadett Gregor / Tímea Vanya; Bernard Harper — András Faragó / Sándor Szűcs; Leonard Harper — Zsombor Náray-Kovács / Milos Kozma / Áron Várhelyi / Dominik Kovács. Set and costumes: György Csík; Assistant/Prompter: Andrea Juhász; Directors: Kristóf Németh and Endre Beleznay; Producer: Kristóf Németh. Running time: 180 minutes with one intermission. Recommended 14+. Program subject to change.
Agatha Christie on Stage
March 11, Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. — Veres 1 Színház presents Mark Shanahan’s stage adaptation of Agatha Christie, translated by Attila Galambos. The meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot retires to the sleepy English estate village of King’s Abbot. Peace lasts minutes: two unexplained deaths jolt the town. With Scotland Yard floundering, the grieving family pleads, and Poirot—retirement be damned—hunts the truth one last time. With the help of local physician Dr. James Sheppard, the ingenious duo uncovers a revelation far more shocking than expected.
Cast: Hercule Poirot — Artúr Kálid; Dr. James Sheppard — P. Szilveszter Szabó; Caroline Sheppard — Enikő Zorgel; Ralph Paton — Mátyás Dósa / Béla Oláh / Ferenc Tarlós; Helen Russell — Gyöngyi Molnár / Ildikó Bacsa; Roger Ackroyd — Sándor Venyige; Flora Ackroyd — Dorka Gáspárfalvi / Szandra Holczinger; Major Hector Blunt — Dénes Száraz; Ursula Bourne — Kriszta Miklós; Parker — László Janik; Gertrude Ackroyd — Nelly Fésűs / Gyöngyi Molnár; Inspector Raglan — Tibor Pásztor. Prompter: Éva Paku; Assistant Director: Veronika Páli; Set: György Bátonyi; Costumes: Janó Papp; Director: Kornél Simon.
Bridgerton by Candlelight
March 14, Saturday, 7:00 p.m. — A romantic, elegant evening bathed in the glow of hundreds of candles, as a string quartet performs beloved music from the hit Bridgerton series. Expect a chic blend of classical inspirations and modern pop-tinged melodies that have charmed audiences worldwide. It’s more than music: sophisticated ambiance, romance, and the irresistible charm of a bygone era. Not recommended for children under 6.
Húzzad csak, kivilágos virradatig
March 18, Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. — An operetta and cabaret night rich with the greatest hits of Franz Lehár (Lehár Ferenc), Emmerich Kálmán (Kálmán Imre), and Albert Szirmai (Szirmai Albert), plus saucy couplets, cabaret sketches, and gems from Szenes to Countess Maritza (Marica grófnő). Expect smashing numbers from Countess Maritza (Marica grófnő), The Csardas Princess (Csárdáskirálynő), and Miska the Magnate (Mágnás Miska). Performed by artists of the Pest Artists’ Theater (Pesti Művész Színház): Zsuzsa Nyertes, Bernadett Fogarassy, Éva Czető-Fritz, Géza Egyházi, Roland Czető, Sándor Várfi.
Hamupipőke
March 28, Saturday, 10:30 a.m. — A fairy-tale musical take on Cinderella. After losing both parents, Cinderella suffers under a strict stepmother and two vain stepsisters. A royal ball invites every young woman, and while the sisters primp, a miracle knocks: a mysterious helper, kind animals, and a dazzling dress get her to the palace—until midnight. One lost shoe on the staircase sends a prince on a quest. Cast: Cinderella — Melinda Boda; Rozinella — Dorina Pintér; Kravália — Lilla Kecskeméti; Madam Krudélia — Andrea Dóka; Mihály Peták / Aunt Kornica — András Fogarassy; Prince — Kristóf Uwe Berecz; Mice — Dorina Pintér, Lilla Kecskeméti. Music: Imre Harmath; Dramaturgy/Lyrics: Balázs Bencze; Set: G. Péter Halász; Costumes: Mária Reidinger; Director: Zsuzsa Szabó.
Hőhullám — Musical Comedy
March 28, Saturday, 7:00 p.m. — A humorous, adventurous ride through the unavoidable hurdles of menopause and midlife, powered by self-irony, laughter, and the occasional supportive man. Four friends in their fifties meet on a train to Spain’s coast to relive youthful escapades and ditch daily stress—only to juggle Andalusia’s heat and their own hot flashes. Frida: divorced, compulsively neat, pill-dependent; Paola: a teacher in a monotonous marriage, battling body image; Carmen: an entrepreneur, unabashedly passionate; Alba: a widowed, sweet, slightly ditzy soul dabbling enthusiastically in esoterica. A charming man appears—his role’s a surprise. Cast: Enikő Détár, Nelli Fésűs, Csekka Gyebnár, Judit Ladinek, Attila Bardóczy. Director: Rita Tallós; Written by Lóránt Varga from an idea by J. Pabló Galiano; Lyrics: Csaba Csík; Choreography: Bertalan Vári; Costumes: Anikó Ungár.
Az Éj Eleganciája — Debrecen
March 30, Monday, 7:00 p.m. — Attila Csengeri (Csengeri Attila), Andrea Mahó (Mahó Andrea), and Gábor Kovács present a concert that’s more than musical theater. Think Halloween reimagined: darkness as allure, music as love letter. Under mystical lighting, iconic numbers from The Phantom of the Opera, Romeo and Juliet (Rómeó és Júlia), Cats (Macskák), and world hits wash over the hall like a longed-for embrace. Three voices braid passion, mystery, and immortal love in an instant. Dress code: honor the night’s palette—black, white, gold, or red. Don’t miss this sumptuous evening.
Michael Cooney: Nicsak, ki lakik itt?!
April 11, Saturday, 3:00 p.m. — Madness in two acts from Bánfalvy Stúdió, freshly revived in 2025. Translator/Dramaturg: Albert Benedek; revised by Benedek, Oliver W. Horvath, and HCS. Director: Csaba Horváth; Producers: HCS and Oliver W. Horvath. A London-based Hungarian has had it with free money—yes, really. Róbert Szűcs has it all: unemployment benefit, old-age pension, sick pay, child support, disability allowance, and, naturally, free cow’s milk. Plus a side hustle in nursing bras that makes his wife furious. Afraid of getting caught, he’d rather shake off the dodgy benefits than lose his wife or his freedom. But ditching handouts? Harder than it looks. Cast: Linda Szűcs-Swan — Iza Varga / Zsófia Kondákor; Róbert Szűcs — Ferenc Hujber; Paweł Duda — Imre Harmath.
4034 Debrecen, Faraktár u. 67. awaits—veteran venue, fresh stories, long nights well spent.
