Somewhere in Europe: Production Design Takes Centre Stage

On the open-air stage of Oradea Fortress, the Lilliput Company of Szigligeti Theatre will present the well-known musical adaptation of Géza Radványi's world-famous film Somewhere in Europe, on 10 September. The costume designer is Cristina Breteanu, and the set designer is Tamás Rákay. We interviewed them about the performance and the rehearsal process.

Tell us about the costumes of Somewhere in Europe.

Cristina Breteanu: Of course, the costume designer's task – for any performance – is the first stage of preparation. In this case, too, it is very important to study the period in question, for example, the style of the 1940s. We had to follow the fashion traits and characteristics of the period: the lines of the costume, the colour palette, and the accessories. After making the costumes, came the so-called 'fun' part, where we tore, cut, and sewed the clothes. This was no fun at all at a time when there was not enough food, when some of the clothes were more for body protection than clothing, and of course, they were in a very worn state. I tried to recreate that atmosphere in this performance with the costumes.

How does Somewhere in Europe look visually?

Tamás Rákay: Both the story and the music of Somewhere in Europe are equally aimed at the human soul. With director Csaba Györfi, we wanted to show the emotions we got from this with the set design. We aimed to create a montage space that doesn't need to be adapted to show every location, but still gives the possibility to show different situations. We have imagined a world that the viewer does not need to associate a year with. To better engage the viewer in our world, we have also tried to make the auditorium part of the playing field and the set. Cables of twisting light poles stretch over the viewer's head, the spectacle of which continues in the background. It is in fact a direction sign for the children's initially endless wanderings, but it is also a symbolic graveyard for the senseless human sacrifices of a world at war, in a forest of countless light pole head trees.

The musical is performed under an agreement with Proscenium Copyright Agency Ltd.