Rehearsals begin for The Changeling at Szeged National Theater
The Szeged National Theater has begun rehearsals for its upcoming production of The Changeling (Átváltozások), a Renaissance-era thriller by English playwrights Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. The premiere is scheduled for April 17 at the Kisszínház.
The rehearsal process opened with a public table read on Tuesday, where director M. Gábor Koltai highlighted the historical significance of the work and its enduring popularity on British stages. He described the play as both audience- and actor-friendly, shifting rapidly between horror and farce, and said it should not be regarded as an experimental piece in contemporary Hungarian theater.
Koltai placed the drama in the broader context of the golden age of English theater, roughly between 1570 and 1642, when London supported five or six theaters at a time, and thousands attended performances weekly. While the period is most commonly associated with William Shakespeare, he noted that dozens of other prominent playwrights were active at the time, including Middleton, whom he described as one of the era’s most successful writers. Middleton frequently blended thriller and horror elements with bourgeois comedy, while Rowley was also known for his work as an actor.
Written in 1622, The Changeling centers on a love triangle set in a castle that also functions as a madhouse. The story follows the disfigured De Flores, who becomes obsessively devoted to the wealthy Beatrice and commits a crime on her behalf, only to demand a far greater reward than she anticipated. As preparations for a wedding unfold, questions of sanity, desire, and morality come to the forefront.
The Szeged production features Patrícia Fekete, Kristóf Poroszlay, Ferenc Pollák, Ádám Ottlik, Róbert Szegezdi, Barnabás Atlasz, Kata Csorba, Tamás Bánvölgyi, Petra Ács, and Tamás Jakab in leading roles. The dramaturg is Anna Zsigó, with set and costume design by Rita Vereckei.
The April premiere will mark the final debut of the theater’s 2025/26 season.
Photos: Róbert Tari / Szeged National Theater
