Szeged National Theater to open new season with Verdi’s La Traviata

La Traviata first rehearsal and press briefing at the Szeged National Theater on Aug. 25, 2026. Photo credit: Szeged National Theater / Róbert Tari

The Szeged National Theater will open its 2026-27 season with a new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, bringing one of the world’s most frequently performed operas to the theater’s main stage beginning Sept. 25.

Directed by Gábor M. Koltai and choreographed by Johanna Bodor, the production will feature the Szeged Symphony Orchestra alongside the theater’s chorus and dance company. Sets are by Rita Vereckei, with costumes designed by Anni Füzér.

General Director László Barnák said opening the season with an opera reflects the genre’s prominent role in the theater’s programming.

“Opera has a strong presence in Szeged; this is demonstrated by the fact that the very first premiere of the season is La Traviata, while some 8,000 people saw Carmen at the Szeged Open-Air Festival,” Barnák said.

He added that opera remains a priority for the institution, which has the largest opera company outside Budapest, including its chorus and dance company.

The new production will place particular emphasis on its visual storytelling. Koltai said the creative team sought to give individual scenes the quality of paintings while allowing the sets and costumes to work alongside Verdi’s music in telling the story.

“I believe that the visual dimension is also important in opera, so we aimed to make every scene look like a painting,” Koltai said.

The director noted that Verdi originally envisioned La Traviata being performed in contemporary dress – an unusual choice when the opera premiered in Venice in 1853. The Szeged production similarly aims to make its visual world resonate with contemporary audiences while combining realistic and poetic elements.

Based on Alexandre Dumas fils’ La Dame aux Camélias, La Traviata follows Violetta Valéry, a Parisian courtesan who falls in love with Alfredo Germont but faces the expectations and judgment of the society around her. Beyond its central love story, the opera explores personal freedom, sacrifice and social convention.

The Sept. 25 premiere comes less than two months after opera drew thousands of spectators to Dóm Square, where the Szeged Open-Air Festival presented Bizet’s Carmen on July 31 and Aug. 1.

Featured image: Szeged National Theater / Róbert Tari