12A Happiness Street
12A Happiness Street
The Hungarian State Theatre “Csiky Gergely” in Timișoara announces the premiere of the performance “12A Happiness Street”, a documentary-style production about the unheard voices of domestic violence
On Friday, January 30, 2026, at 7:00 PM, the Studio Hall of the Hungarian State Theatre “Csiky Gergely” in Timișoara will host the premiere of “12A Happiness Street”, a theatrical project with a strong social dimension, created as part of the European project “FemminiCity – Cities that Support Women’s Participation in Policy-Making.”
The performance is directed by Laurent Berger, director and head of the Performing Arts Creation MA program at Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3. The text is based on interviews conducted with women experiencing domestic violence, facilitated by the Social Assistance Department of the Timișoara City Hall. “12A Happiness Street” reveals an unspoken, uncomfortable, and painful truth about these women’s experiences, as well as their strength to carry on, to breathe, and to hope for a better life.
A defining element of the production is its mixed cast, made up of both professional actresses of the Csiky Gergely Hungarian State Theatre—Balló Helga, Éder Enikő, and Magyari Etelka—and non-professional actresses selected through an open casting call, answered by 20 women interested in the theme of the performance. Péntek-Domschy Mercédesz, Szabó Abigél, Tamás Adél, and Varga Ildikó were chosen to be part of the final cast, bringing to the stage an authentic presence and a distinctive emotional force, within a collective scenic approach built on the diversity of voices and experiences. The dramaturgical text is signed by Orbán Enikő and Laurent Berger. The visual universe of the performance is created by Albert Alpár, who designed the set and costumes; the original music is composed by Cári Tibor, and the projected video footage is created by Dávid Helga.
This performance is co-funded by the European Union, as part of the FemminiCity project, coordinated by the Hungarian State Theatre. The project received funding from the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) program, implemented by the European Union through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), it runs over a two-year period and brings together cultural operators from five European countries. All five performances created within FemminiCity will be presented in Timișoara as part of the TESZT Euroregional Theatre Festival, and the production created by the Hungarian Theatre team will subsequently tour the other four partner countries, participating in international theatre festivals and events.
