Hívjuk és várjuk programjainkra — that’s the spirit at Debrecen’s Vasutas Cultural Center, one of the city’s oldest and most defining community hubs, promising an open, high-quality program slate for 2026. Exhibitions, concerts, plays, and recurring neighborhood events all find a home here at VOKE Egyetértés Cultural Center (Egyetértés Művelődési Központ), 4034 Debrecen, Faraktár St. 67. Doors open early in the year with premieres, revivals, and a shamelessly fun dose of cabaret, comedy, and operetta. Here’s the slate, by date and flavor, with casts and creative teams in full.
“Meztelen igazság” — Musical Comedy About Shedding It All
January 14, Wednesday, 7:00 PM; February 16, Monday, 7:00 PM. A witty, liberating musical comedy about self-acceptance, women’s solidarity, and the courage it takes to strip down — emotionally and literally. Six women from wildly different backgrounds sign up for the same confidence-boosting pole-dance class, only to discover they’re not just there for “sexy moves.” Friendships spark, secrets surface, and they gradually accept and love their bodies. Guided by a bold idea, they decide to drop their inhibitions — and their clothes — for charity.
Cast: Trisha — Barbinek Paula; Bev — Kokas Piroska; Faith — Deutsch Anita; Sarah — Nyertes Zsuzsa; Rita — Sári Évi; Gabby — Fekete Linda. Director: Tallós Rita. Written by Dave Simpson; Hungarian translation/dramaturgy: Barbinek Paula; Set/costume: Gordos Éva; Repetiteur: Fehér Adrienn; Choreography: Tallós Andrea; Sound: Csomor György; Lighting: Váradi András “Szőke”; Music: international hits in new arrangements; Lyrics: Csik Csaba/Cseh Dávid Péter; Pole-dance coaching: Tóth Bernadett/Pole Heaven Rúdtánc Stúdió; Assistant director: Kiss Kriszta.
Farce in Fur Coats: Double-Crosses on the Fourth Floor
January 16, Friday, 7:00 PM. A two-act comedy where lovers, mink coats, and scantily clad women collide. Maybe the fur symbolizes male obsession, maybe female lightness — either way, where there’s mink, someone’s desperately chasing the same thing. John Chapman and Ray Cooney twist a simple love triangle into a dozen “who’s with whom?” knots, tossing the nonstop-bluffing owners of a tiny fur salon into impossible fixes. Adulterous husbands and wives pop in at ever tighter intervals, clothes fly on and off, and the fourth-floor salon window launches garments and gadgets into the air. Furs take flight. It’s a tart take on testosterone’s effects, with women’s desires rendered just as single-minded, only more objectified.
Cast: Gilbert Bodley — Nagy Sándor; Arnold Crouch — Csonka András; Sue Lawson — Molnár Szilvia; Miss Tipdale — Steinkohl Erika/Zorgel Enikő; Janie McMichael — Fésűs Nelly; Harry McMichael — Pál Tamás; Mrs. Frencham — Csányi Erika; Captain Frencham — Venyige Sándor; Maude Bodley — Molnár Gyöngyi; Mr. Lawson — Janik László; Miss Whittington — Kiss Csinszka Flóra. Costume: Molnár Szilvia; Set: Varsányi Anna; Director: Venyige Sándor. Running time: 110 minutes.
Zerkovitz–Topolcsányi: Princess of the Orpheum (Orfeum hercegnő)
January 17, Saturday, 6:00 PM. National Premiere III. A sparkling two-part operetta-comedy: fizzy humor, Budapest romance, and immortal melodies. What happens when a legendary Pest primadonna, long retired from the limelight, suddenly returns and flips the capital on its head? Princess of the Orpheum — the third national premiere by Mosoly Muzsika Produkció — whisks you back to the glittering Royal Orfeum, where love mingles with champagne bubbles and a hit lurks at every corner. Alfonza, once adored, lives quietly on a country estate until fate sweeps her into the bright, buzzing city night. She conquers hearts, topples affairs, sparks a charming young romance — and Béla Zerkovitz arrives as only he can: in song, wit, and sheer flair.
Expect cherished Zerkovitz hits in fresh, live arrangements: Éjjel az omnibusz tetején; Mi muzsikus lelkek, mi bohém fiúk; Asszonykám, adj egy kis kimenőt; Los Angeles (A csókos Pest); Kár itt minden dumáért — and more surprises. Cast: Nagy Ibolya (Déryné Prize), Csengeri Attila (eMeRTon Prize, title role in The Phantom of the Opera), plus a triple soubrette lineup: Pacskó Dorka (Madách Theatre — Madách Színház), Unger Vanda, Békány Csenge; and Kovács Szilárd, dancer-comedian and guest of the Budapest Operetta Theatre (Operettszínház) and Madách. Story: Laura Topolcsányi; Music: Béla Zerkovitz’s timeless melodies. The troupe pledges new Hungarian operettas to carry on what Lehár, Kálmán, and Zerkovitz began. Slogan: Princess of the Orpheum — the new star of Budapest nights. One evening you won’t forget.
Nude with Violin (Akt hegedűvel)
January 30, Friday, 7:00 PM. A towering painter exits the stage of life. His works hang in the world’s great museums; any self-respecting collector covets them. Critics swoon, and the American art world buzzes when word spreads that his late-period masterpiece, “Nude with Violin,” is in the estate. The family arrives for the funeral and realizes the Master left no will. But his longtime valet holds a letter… Uninvited visitors multiply, bank vault letters surface, and the past grows murky — or clearer? Two acts, 120 minutes.
Michael Cooney: Who’s There? (Nicsak, ki lakik itt?!)
February 8, Sunday, 7:00 PM; April 11, Saturday, 3:00 PM. Madness in two parts. Translation/dramaturgy by Albert Benedek; revised for revival by Albert Benedek, Oliver W. Horvath, HCS. Bánfalvy Stúdió 2018; revived 2025. Director: Csaba Horváth; Producers: HCS, Oliver W. Horvath.
A London-based Hungarian has had it with free money. Róbert Szűcs had it all: unemployment benefit, old-age pension, sick pay, family allowance, disability payments, and of course free cow’s milk — plus a nursing-bra racket that even triggers his wife’s jealousy. To avoid getting caught, he decides he’d rather ditch the illegitimate benefits than lose his wife or his freedom. But shaking off subsidies is anything but easy. A two-part frenzy from Bánfalvy Stúdió.
Cast: Linda Szűcs-Swan — Varga Iza/Kondákor Zsófia; Róbert Szűcs — Hujber Ferenc; Pawel Duda — Harmath Imre/Gombás Ádám; Mr. George Jenkins — Gombás Ádám/Kiss Zoli; Gyurka — Ganxsta Zolee; Sally Chessington — Bugár Anna/Kondákor Zsófia; Dr. Chapman — Sándor Péter/Hajdu Levente; Mr. Fortbright — Imre István/Csányi Dávid; Miss Cowper — György Orsolya; Magdalena Szmrczyk — Stelczer Timi.
Rock Ballads by Candlelight
February 13, Friday, 7:00 PM. Soak up iconic rock anthems reimagined for string quartet, performed by the glow of hundreds of candles. Queen, Metallica, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, and more — the string arrangements tap new emotional depths in these classics. The warm candlelight sets an intimate vibe for a night to remember. Not recommended for children under 6.
Time Travel — Erika Náray and Róbert Alföldi
February 20, Friday, 7:00 PM. In 1929, 15 statuettes were handed out. No name yet, made of clay, winners notified in advance, and the media nowhere in sight. Since 1931, the award has had a name — Oscar — broadcast on TV since 1953, in color since 1966. Who remembers the beginnings? The hundreds of winners? Who triumphed and who missed one of cinema’s top honors? Ninety years of history, revisited in songs, stories, and images from the Academy Awards’ past.
Három a magyar vigasság! — A Riotous Musical Cabaret
February 22, Sunday, 4:00 PM. A two-part musical cabaret steeped in the golden age of Hungarian musical theater and the emblematic tradition of Budapest cabaret. Three beloved comics lead the charge: Zsuzsa Nyertes, former head comic of Vidám Színpad, and two giants of Mikroszkóp Színpad, both recipients of the Érdemes Művész honor, Tamás Heller and Péter Beregi. Ambassadors of cheer who’ve entertained for decades, tireless and ageless, on both sides of the border. Expect everything that delights the senses — and then some.
