Hungarian Theatre Museum and Institute

The National Theatre History Museum and Institute (OSZMI) is a state-founded cultural institution, currently maintained by the Foundation for Theatre and Film Arts. Its building is located in Budapest District I, at 57 Krisztina Boulevard. As a museum it performs public collection tasks, and as a scientific institute its important tasks include supporting the theatrical profession and researchers dealing with domestic theatre history.

In addition to the central building, the institution includes the Gizi Bajor Actor Museum (District XII, 16 Stromfeld Aurél Road), which is the exhibition venue of the OSZMI.

Building

The classicist-style building that houses the institution, the former main façade of the Áldásy House facing Krisztina Boulevard, has wings that enclose a small inner garden. The originally single-story building was constructed in the 1840s by Antal Áldásy, a captain from Buda, on the then still suburban, village-like area. From 1855 until his death in 1866, Adam Clark also lived here, who married the captain’s daughter, Mária Áldásy.

Later the house was completely rebuilt, a floor was added, and its façade was given a classicist character. Originally village-like, arcade wings on the courtyard side were closed with window glass during the 1931 building extension. At the end of one wing, a winter garden was created on the upper floor, where nowadays the museum holds its temporary exhibitions.

From the old single-story building today mainly only the arched gateway and the arched cellar, as well as the former garden path in the courtyard, can be seen.

The Institution

The institution was established as the National Theatre History Museum in November 1952. In August 1954 it moved into its present building and that year opened its permanent exhibition, which was on view for eight years.

At the beginning of 1957 Ferenc Hont, the museum director, transformed it into the Institute of Theatre and Film Science, merging the State Film Archive and the Scientific Department of the Theatre and Film Arts Association with the museum, but the film science department moved out in 1959 and continued to operate independently as the Hungarian Institute of Film Science and Film Archive. At that time the institution's name was Institute of Theatre Science, and from 1969 it became the Hungarian Theatre Institute, with the theatre history museum as a separate department. It has borne its current name (National Theatre History Museum and Institute) since 1991.

Between 2017 and 2021 it was organizationally attached to the Petőfi Literary Museum. In 2019 the government wanted to relocate it to the countryside, but it ultimately remained in Budapest. After the foundation transformation of the University of Theatre and Film Arts (SZFE), the government in the autumn of 2021 gifted the institute to the foundation (Foundation for Theatre and Film Arts, SZFA).

Activities

As a national collecting museum it primarily collects, preserves, and makes accessible the memories of Hungarian theatre art and theatrical culture for professionals and partly for the general public. It monitors and documents contemporary Hungarian theatre life—both domestic and abroad—including prose, musical, and dance theatre performances. To a limited extent it also preserves documents and video recordings of other foreign theatrical productions and conducts foreign data collection. Its collections contain visual art works, theatrical props and models, set and costume designs, as well as handwritten, printed, material and audiovisual memorabilia.

A significant portion of the information within the institute's scope of activity is also available in digital form.

Since 1953, the Bajor Gizi Actor Museum has been under the institution's management and professional supervision, where permanent and temporary exhibitions can be seen. Only temporary exhibitions are organized in the main building.

Within its museum pedagogical activities, the OSZMI regularly organizes programs for various youth age groups.

Departments, Collections

According to its diverse activities, the institution has a separate Historical Department and a separate Museum Department. Its collections:

Small print and stage calendar

Puppet collection

Memorial archive

Photo archive

Audio archive

Fine arts and topographic collection

Manuscript archive

Scenic and model collection

Dance archive

Video archive

The article archive, from 1952, collects theatre-related material published in the press, mainly of Hungarian relevance. Digitization of old newspaper articles is in progress. Since 2003 the institution also has a digital archive, which collects, digitizes and archives recordings of Hungarian theatrical performances.

The OSZMI theatre science specialized library consists of about 65,000 items. Its reading room is public, with nearly 1,200 volumes, encyclopedias, and handbooks on its open shelves.

Bajor Gizi Actor Museum

In the former house of Bajor Gizi, where the actress lived from 1933, a memorial exhibition opened for the first time in early 1952. Its creation is thanks to Hilda Gobbi, and through her persistent efforts the actor museum was established in the building, belonging to the institute since 1953.

Leaders of the Institution

In various periods, the leaders of the institution have included:

Ferenc Hont (1953–1969, director)

György Székely (1960–1980, deputy director)

Miklós Almási (1976–1978, director, previously group leader from 1962–1976)

Ferenc Kerényi (1983–1992, director)

Nina Király (1993–1999), director

Péter Müller (1999–2004, director)

András Nagy (director since 2004)

Dr. Ács Piroska art historian (director since March 1, 2010)

Dr. Bodolay Géza (director since May 1, 2019). His appointment was originally for five years, but in 2024 his mandate was extended without a call for applications, note that the state institution has meanwhile been transferred to a nonprofit Ltd.