The National Theatre commemorates one of the most singular voices of contemporary European theatre: the oeuvre of Valère Novarina placed the creative power of language at the very center of the stage. On April 13, we pay tribute to his work with a book launch, a staged reading, and an exhibition.

On January 16 this year, news arrived of the passing of Valère Novarina, one of the most distinctive and original figures in contemporary French literature and theatre. Born in Geneva, the artist created a complex theatrical universe in which writing, directing, and visual imagination worked in unison to shape the totality of each performance.

At the core of his work stood language—not as a mere tool, but as a living, formative force. His theatre does not tell stories in the conventional sense; rather, it reveals the emergence and disintegration of speech itself. In his works, the word takes on a body, dissolves, and returns in new forms—this constant transformation lends his theatre its unique, almost ritualistic dynamism.

His international significance is reflected in his recurring presence at the Avignon Festival, and in the fact that his plays were staged at major institutions. In 2006, the Comédie-Française included The Furious Space in its repertoire, while in 2011, the Odéon Theatre awarded True Blood the prize for Best Production of the Year. Upon his death, Le Monde described him as a “poet of the stage and a magician of language.”

He maintained a strong connection with Hungary. In 2009, he directed Imaginary Operetta in Debrecen, which later achieved great success in Paris as well. In recent years, several of his works have been published in Hungarian, alongside a volume of studies devoted to his oeuvre. He taught and inspired generations: he held masterclasses at the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church and the University of Theatre and Film Arts, and was a regular guest of the Madách International Theatre Meeting. He had planned to personally accompany the production Figures of Thought, featured in this year’s festival.

The unique linguistic world of this play reflects Novarina’s artistic vision: rather than a linear narrative, we witness a process moving toward a kind of “rhythmic catastrophe,” followed by renewal. The flow of speech dismantles human figures, only to recreate them through the energy of utterance.

On April 13, the National Theatre dedicates a memorial day to the artist. The central event, beginning at 5 p.m., is a book launch and staged reading of The Unknown Act, or the Missing Scene, published for the first time in Hungarian in the series of the University of Theatre and Film Arts, translated and introduced by Enikő Sepsi.

During the event, excerpts will be performed by Nándor Berettyán, Anna Ráckevei, József Varga, and József Rácz. Participants in the commemoration include Adélaïde Pralon, Zsófia Rideg, Enikő Sepsi, Nelli Szűcs, and Attila Vidnyánszky. The reading will be accompanied by accordion music performed by Szabolcs Szász and Christian Paccoud, with the discussion moderated by Réka Szabó.

At 6 p.m., the photo exhibition Valère Novarina in Hungary will open in the foyer of the Gobbi Hilda Stage. Photographs by Zsolt Eöri Szabó and András Máthé evoke memorable moments from Novarina’s work in Hungary and from productions presented at MITEM. The day will conclude with a performance of Figures of Thought.

The art of Valère Novarina was built on a profound belief in the power of the word. His theatre reminds us that language does not merely express—it creates, and that every spoken word on stage carries within it the possibility of a new world.

(10 April 2026)