Pécs2010 Management - Artistic Board

János Vincze

János Vincze was born on July 15, 1947 in Dombóvár. He earned his first university degree at the teacher Training College of Pécs in Hungarian and history and the second one at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. He taught at the No. 500 Vocational Secondary School in Pécs and then became the artistic leader and later the director of the Ságvári Cultural House. Since 1995 he has been the director of the Pécsi Harmadik Színház (The Third Theatre of Pécs).

He has been the leader of several theatre companies, including the Studio Theatre of the Teacher Training College, the University Theatre of Pécs, the Five Hundred Theatre of Pécs and the Open Stage of Pécs. His Örkény trilogy (Pisti in Bloodshed, Key Seekers, and Script) directed at the Open Stage has won significant professional recognition. In 1988 he established the Harmadik Színház (The Third Theatre) of Pécs, which worked as an alternative theatre at the outset but became a professional theatre without a permanent company in 1995 supported by the local government and began to create productions of its own in addition to hosting the productions of other theatre companies.

János Vincze is a director committed to contemporary Hungarian drama. He was the first in Hungary to put on stage János Pilinszky's Gyerekek és katonák (Children and Soldiers), András Forgách's Vitelius, György Spiró's Quartet and Szappanopera (Soap Opera) and János Háy's A Herner Ferike faterja (Ferike Herner's Old Man). Some other important plays directed by him include: István Örkény: Tóték (The Tót Family), Macskajáték (Cat's Play); György Spiró: Csirkefej (Chicken's Head); Péter Nádas: Találkozás (Encounter): Mihály Kornis: Halleluja; Milán Füst: Boldogtalanok (The Unhappy): Zoltán Egressy: Sóska, sültkrumpli (Sour dock, Fried Potatos); János Háy: A Gézagyerek (This Guy Géza); Mrožek: Emigránsok (The Emigrants), Tangó (Tango): Pinter: A gondnok (The Caretaker): Schwab: Elnöknők (Lady Presidents): Beckett: A játszma vége (The End of the Game). Nine of his productions have been invited to participate in national theatre festival contests where he collected over ten different prizes. He received the „Best Dramaturgist“ Prize for the 5-character version of The Tót Family and „The Best Directing“ Prize for The Unhappy. His Quartet production was invited to the United States, Canada, Finland and Romania. He has put plays on stage in the National Theatre of Pécs, the Petőfi Theatre of Veszprém, the Szigligeti Theatre of Szolnok, the State Hungarian Theatre in Kolozsvár (Cluj Napoca) and the Budapest Chamber Theatre.

Between 1993 and 1998 he was on the committee of the Association of Theatrical Arts. His medals include: For Socialist Culture, Excellent Public Educator, Public Education Award of Baranya County, Artistic Prize of the City of Pécs, Jászai Mari Prize.