,,Hassle” Theatre Group

Hassle

– the theater group of primary school students from Bethlen Gábor College –

At the encouragement and invitation of Fodor Katalin, the leader of the high school drama club, which has been running successfully for several years, a drama club for students in grades V-VIII was initiated at the College. At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, the idea was so popular that an enthusiastic team of 5th and 6th grade students was organized, led by Hungarian language teachers Fodor Brigitta and Gudor Noémi.

From the very beginning, it was intended to inspire the students of the college’s primary school to develop an interest in acting and improve their skills, which they will be able to use in their secondary school years in the project The Upside Down Horseshoe. Under the guidance of drama teacher Kocsis Tünde, the group’s activities have been supported by professional training, and the group has been moving ever more boldly towards its goal of putting on its first show at the end of the school year.

For children, it is essential that their work has a visible, presentable outcome – the production, the work on stage. But we know that more important is their individual development. Role-playing, coaching, different rehearsals have a major impact on self-awareness, attention, verbal and non-verbal expressiveness, empathy, sense of rhythm, situational perception and problem-solving skills. At the same time, these activities give them a sense of achievement, children relax in games, and the experience of belonging to a community becomes stronger.

The fact that the activities were held regularly, once a week, paid off, and on the 30th of May, 2024, the children confidently took to the stage in different roles from Zsolt Láng’s play A rúkmadár. The play tackled concepts such as fear, self-awareness, loyalty, betrayal, love, romance – all wrapped up in a fantastical story, spiced with a lot of humor and irony.

                                                                    


The group of 22 students, after the school performances, also took the play to the Stage Festival, edition XXXI. in Sângeorgiu de Pădure, where it received valuable appreciations from the specialists and the award for Best Story Direction.

Thanks to the support of the Bethlen Gábor Foundation, the members of the theatre group had the opportunity to participate in the Eszik vagy Isszák theatre pedagogy program. In collaboration with the Hungarian National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca, the students had the opportunity to watch prepared performances with dramatherapy sessions, and then, the after-show activities helped them to process and better understand the theatrical experience.

In the 2024-2025 school year, the hassle theatre group has expanded to 27 members, and this year’s mentorship is provided by acting teacher Andrea Fincziski. The group, facing new challenges, is currently working on strengthening the team, building team spirit and choosing a new play. Also, starting in December, the involvement in the theater pedagogy program will start again with the performance of Fülemüle by the Cluj-Napoca Theatre.

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