Péter Cseke’s childhood is closely tied to his hometown of Nagyvárad (Oradea), where, as the child of actor parents, he came into contact with the city’s theatre at an early age. The experiences he gained there proved formative, and the environment that later became his vocation already felt natural to him as a child. His father, Sándor Cseke, was the theatre’s popular comic-dancer, playing a long line of successful roles and enjoying great appreciation from the audience. Later, he also achieved success in spoken and character roles, proving his talent in parts ranging from Boni in The Csárdás Princess to his portrayal of Aesop. Alongside his wife, the excellent and beautiful actress Beatrix Riedinger (Révai Bea), both the Romanian and Hungarian public followed their careers with admiration.
For Péter Cseke, his parents’ example offered a lifelong understanding of the “classical” actor’s way of life – of an era when their work was accompanied by the audience’s unconditional affection, and when not even a stormy evening could wash away a night’s open-air performance. The book he co-authored with his father, Színpadon a két Cseke (The Two Csekes on Stage), reveals much about this period, which had a profound influence on Péter Cseke’s own career as well.
He began his career as an actor, giving outstanding performances in both spoken drama and musical theatre. In his book, he speaks with self-criticism about the roles he feels were less successful [1], showing that in every process he has always been motivated by development and learning – a drive that continues to this day. As he set himself new goals, working toward becoming first a director and later an artistic director, he advanced with steady determination, constantly seeking opportunities to broaden his experience. As an actor, he performed with equal preparedness in light comedies and weightier dramatic roles. Later, in his successful application for a directorship [2], he articulated his own artistic credo, which had defined his career as well: for him, political affiliation has no place in art, and differences between genres must never imply differences in quality. In his view, any production – regardless of genre – can achieve high artistic value and great popular success if it is performed well. Ensuring diversity and quality is also a fundamental duty of the theatre, since it exists for its audience and must offer something that contains interest for everyone – like a library whose shelves hold something for every age group and area of interest. The idea of art created for the community, the close connection between audience and theatre that motivates his work, runs parallel to his father’s and his own childhood experiences, carrying a part of that earlier world into the 21st century.
Szigligeti Theatre Oradea
Péter Cseke achieved his first stage successes at the Oradea Theatre. While his father was preparing for a New Year’s Eve solo performance and learning his lines, his wife warned him:
“Listen, Sanyi, this child knows your entire role. By heart.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
“No, really.”
“Well then, let’s hear him!”
I listened. My son really did say every word exactly as I did — and all from memory. He was three or four years old at the time.[3]
Beyond the surprise, the idea was born: father and son went on stage one after the other, performing the same text. As a small-sized copy of his father, Péter Cseke achieved even greater success with the humorous piece than Sándor Cseke himself, and during one of the many curtain calls he stuck his father’s fake moustache onto his own forehead, delighting the audience. According to recollections, it was at this moment that it became certain he would one day follow in his parents’ footsteps.
The carefree childhood years, however, were interrupted by his parents’ divorce, which brought major changes to his life. He moved to Budapest with his mother, as her relatives lived in the capital. Although Beatrix Riedinger left her acting career behind, her son, after finishing secondary school, immediately applied to the Academy of Drama and Film. In his recollections he often mentions that acting had a “rival”: he regularly played football for the Újpesti Dózsa youth team, where he was eventually advised to attend evening school and dedicate all his time to training [4]. In the end, his mother forbade him to leave school, which also meant the end of his athletic career. Later, however, his love of sports remained an important part of his life both within his family and in the wider community. From his college years onward, he became an active member of the Hungarian Actors’ Football Team, and thus a regular participant in the Actors/Journalists Matches (SZÚR).
After the decision he made at that time, it also became clear that he wished to pursue an acting career. His first, unofficial ensemble membership, however, came about by chance: at the suggestion of a good friend, he intended to join the Central Artistic Ensemble of KISZ. But due to a misunderstanding, he entered another artistic group that shared the same building – the actor-training studio of the recently founded Huszonötödik Színház (Twenty-Fifth Theatre). The theatre, established that same year, then had two monodramas in its repertoire, performed by Kati Berek and Péter Haumann, and actor training was led by Éva Mezei and Péter Wéber. He played his first role on 27 February 1971 in the production Tou O igaztalan halála (The Unjust Death of Tou O), which was also his first appearance in Budapest and his first performance in Hungary.
He applied to the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts immediately after completing secondary school, passed all three admission rounds on his first attempt, and thus became a student of the acting programme in the autumn of 1972. His class directors were Miklós Szinetár and László Babarczy, and his classmates included Ágnes Bánfalvy, Tamás Dunai, Ildikó Fehér, Gizella Fekete, Ágnes Katona, Valéria Kerekes, Győző Mihályi, István O. Szabó, Margit Polyák, Károly Rupnik, Kinga Saárossy, Éva Vándor and András Vitai [5].
During his college years, he was an intern at the Vígszínház, appearing in productions such as György Lengyel’s staging of Goldoni’s Nyaralni mindenáron (Holiday at Any Cost), Az ifjú W. legújabb szenvedései (The Latest Sorrows of Young W.), and Képzelt riport egy amerikai popfesztiválról (Imaginary Report on an American Pop Festival).
Thanks to his exam performances, his name became known early on. Among these, the most outstanding and most memorable for him was the musical Kabaré (Cabaret), presented on 17 April 1976 on the Ódry Stage of the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts. The production was directed by their class director, Miklós Szinetár, who – according to recollections – gave the acting class considerable freedom in the preparatory phase and later shaped the performance with well-targeted instructions.[6] The production received a positive critical response. Although reviews noted that the features of the musical genre – familiar from film but still relatively foreign to Hungarian theatrical traditions – felt unusual in the local context, the students’ performance was considered an example of high artistic quality. Péter Cseke’s portrayal of the Emcee received particular praise, as critics highlighted the centrality of the role, his precise acting, and his insightful characterisation: “Péter Cseke can be regarded as a discovery. True, the Emcee is a role full of punchlines, and the film provides a great model for it. But it is also possible to mimic that model badly. This young artist played corruption, repulsive decadence, and menace with astonishing maturity, reaching to the roots of fascism with a performance that deserves great attention.”[7]
Spurred by his successes at the Academy and the Vígszínház, he received several job offers upon graduation: he was invited to the Kaposvár theatre led by László Babarczy, offers arrived from Pécs and Szeged, and even from his former company, the Twenty-Fifth Theatre – but he ultimately accepted managing director Gyula Kertész’s offer from the Csokonai Theatre of Debrecen. Before officially joining the company, he received his first television film role, which would accompany him throughout his entire career. In addition to his stage work, he appeared frequently on television, in films, and in series – Hátország (Home Front), Cseresznyéskert (The Cherry Orchard), Gyalogbéka (Mudskipper), A kertész kutyája (The Gardener’s Dog), Egy szerelem három éjszakája (Three Nights of a Love Affair), Randevú a Royalban (Rendezvous at the Royal), Nyolc évszak (Eight Seasons), Házas párbaj (Marital Duel), Szemben a Lánchíd oroszlánja (Facing the Lion of the Chain Bridge), Erdélyi dekameron (Transylvanian Decameron), Sajtszínház (Cheese Theatre), etc. He later worked in dubbing as well. All this contributed significantly to his wide public recognition and acclaim.
He spent five seasons in Debrecen, which he later described as follows: “If I had to and if I could summarize the five years spent in Debrecen, I would say that it was a beautiful stretch of my path toward finding myself, filled with outstanding roles.”[8] Among these roles were Horatio (Hamlet, 17 December 1976, dir. János Sándor), Pali Csacsinszky (Lila ákác [Purple Acacia], 28 January 1977, dir. Antal Rencz), Onegin (Eugene, Onegin), 14 November 1977, dir. János Sándor), the Emcee (Cabaret), 21 January 1978, dir. Antal Rencz), Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), 30 September 1978, dir. János Sándor), Mosca (Volpone, or the Comedy of Money), 12 October 1979, dir. László Gali), Pista Herceg (Házmestersirató [Lament for the Janitor], 7 February 1980, dir. György Orosz), Tuzenbach (Three Sisters), 26 November 1977, dir. János Sándor), Kazimir (Kasimir and Karoline), 14 December 1979, dir. Árpád Jutocsa Hegyi), and Viktor (Warsaw Melody, 9 February 1981, dir. Imre Halasi Jr.), among others.
One of his most memorable performances was in the play Volpone, or the Comedy of Money, where he had the opportunity to act alongside the already legendary Debrecen actors Ottó Simor, Rezső Sárosdy, Sándor Csikos, Árpád Kóti, and György Oláh, playing Mosca among them. The production was also broadcast on television, thanks to which he gained nationwide recognition for this stage performance as well. Critics highlighted that the young actor appeared as an equal partner to his already well-established role models in the production, praising his performance as that of a promising talent. Even at that time, they emphasized the deliberate and meticulous movement technique with which he constructed his character portrayal. Gábor Turi wrote the following about him: “Cseke is on stage almost the entire time, tirelessly organizing the action; he handles his movements, voice, and expressions with technical virtuosity, and he is a defining presence in the production.” [9]
The production Lament for the Janitor also brought an important encounter: he had a long personal conversation with the playwright, István Csurka, about his role and about interpreting the drama. This meeting had a great impact on him, influenced his character development, and later this good relationship turned into a productive professional collaboration. In 2006, under the direction of Péter Cseke, the Turay Ida Theatre (where Cseke was the chief director at the time) staged István Csurka’s work Döglött aknák (Deadly Mines).
During his years in Debrecen he proved himself in significant prose roles, but even at that time he also appeared in musical productions. For example, he reprised the major role of the Emcee from his college exam performance in Kabaré (Cabaret), although he felt that the production created by the students had been more innovative and exciting in many respects. Musical theatre continued to accompany him in later stages of his career – including at the Madách Theatre – and he continuously trained and maintained his singing voice.
Madách Theatre
A new turning point arrived in his career in 1980: after seeing his performance in Debrecen in Kasimir and Karoline, Ottó Ádám offered him a contract at the Madách Theatre. Around the same time, László Vámos also wanted to sign him for the newly launched Várszínház – however, Péter Cseke eventually decided to wait a year before making a change, something László Vámos could not guarantee. Thanks to this decision, he ultimately signed with the Madách Theatre, where he performed from 1981 to 1990. At that time the Madách Theatre, previously known for its prose productions of major works of dramatic literature, began to incorporate musical and comedic pieces as well. Péter Cseke played a series of leading roles, which he earned not only through his talent and his experience in prose roles, but also through his excellent physical abilities and his continuously trained singing voice. In his recollections he describes this period as one that brought happiness in his personal life, while in his professional life it brought struggles – though often successes as well. In the book Two Csekes on Stage, not only does his father provide a vivid depiction of the actor’s life in Nagyvárad of that era, especially the relationship between the theatre and its audience, but Péter Cseke himself also characterizes the differences he experienced in the 1970s and 1980s between the provinces and the capital, concerning the status and functioning of the theatre as an artistic institution.
Although he repeatedly considered leaving, as he saw no opportunity for renewal and, in the absence of feedback, no opportunity for development [10], over the years he played many outstanding roles, including some that remain in the repertoire to this day. The years he spent at the Madách Theatre proved to be a defining period for his entire career: by his own account, he had always been interested in two other areas within the theatre – directing plays and managing a theatre as its director. At the Madách Theatre he felt it as a shortcoming that he had no opportunity to integrate collective reflection on the play into the creative process as a guiding principle throughout rehearsals. At the same time, even during this period he was clearly working with creators from whom he learned a great deal about the profession, and he also gained important experience regarding theatrical genres, dramaturgy, practical operation, and audience expectations.
In 1990, at the invitation of Imre Csiszár, he finally signed with the National Theatre, where he performed for one season, then decided to leave after a change in management. In that same year, he received the Jászai Mari Prize. After leaving, like many artists of the time, he became a freelancer. Subsequently, although not as a company member, he repeatedly returned to the Madách Theatre under the directorship of Imre Kerényi, so it is worthwhile to view these two stages of his career together, separately from the single year spent at the National Theatre.
One of the important milestones among his roles at the Madách Theatre was Albert Camus’ Caligula (Caligula), directed by György Lengyel (premiere: Madách Theatre Studio Stage, 21 November 1986). Péter Cseke had already been interested in the text earlier, and during rehearsals he continued to dissect it and explore possibilities for its practical realization. Just as he had previously had long discussions with István Csurka about the writer’s work, this time he sought out Miklós Gábor so that they could analyse the drama together, thereby helping him shape the role. [11] An interview reveals that György Lengyel himself followed this same directorial method: he built his rehearsals on collective reflection. [12] Although most critics felt that Camus’ work was an unusual choice for the Madách Theatre’s repertoire and that it would seem foreign to the theatre’s audience, they nevertheless regarded the creation of the production as a fundamentally positive form of artistic openness. Tamás Bécsy’s analysis, however, began not only from the so-called “Madách phenomenon”, but also saw the relationship between the production and the era of the work as a set of opposing tensions: “In my conviction, the philosophical–intellectual layer of the work emerges only faintly because the experiential material of the actors, from which the behaviour and attitudes of the characters are shaped, reflects much more the general nature of contemporary reality.”[13] At the same time, both he and other critics praised Péter Cseke’s thoughtful, multifaceted, analytically driven performance.[14]
The Ray Cooney play The Odd Couple, directed by György Pethes, was premiered on 31 December 1985 at the Madách Chamber Theatre. The production was a huge success, and its popularity has been undiminished ever since, and it is still being performed without interruption thirty years later. In the original cast, Peter Cseke played John Smith, who systematically shuttled between his two wives, showing his comic flair. His two wives were played for the first time by Zsuzsa Bartal and Enikő Tóth, with Béla Szerednyey as Stanley Curtis, the friend, and also Attila Lőte, Tibor Lesznek and József Gyabronka on stage at the premiere.
The play is an important milestone in Péter Cseke's career, as it is a light but high-quality entertainment that he considers important. It is also important in that it marks his first productions. In 1991, he was asked by his childhood theatre and his parents' theatre, the Oradea State Theatre's Szigligeti Company, to direct a highly successful production for them. The premiere took place on 16 June 1991. His father worked with him as an assistant director on the production, and later some of the Budapest company also made guest appearances in the Oradea production. The audience in Oradea gave the performance an ovation even greater than the one in the capital. A few years later, following the Oradea performance, an invitation came from Vienna, from Vilmos Désy, then director of the Theater beim Auersperg (now called Auersperg15-Theater, still under Désy's direction), and the performance was also a great success.
Earlier, Ottó Ádám, the director of the Madách Theatre, did not support his applying to the directing program at the Academy. From this period he recalls the encouragement of György Lengyel and Péter Huszti. The latter, pointing to his own example, suggested that he learn directing in practice by seeking good literary material, opportunities, and fellow actors. In the end, Péter Cseke did not obtain a directing diploma, but from the 1990s onward, already as a freelancer and as the coordinator of the Madách Theatre’s children’s and youth programs, he staged one production a year, later directing children’s plays in other theatres as well (for example: Ágacska (Little Twig), Madách Theatre, 17 October 1993; Alice Csodaországban (Alice in Wonderland), Merlin Theatre, 19 October 1997; Holle anyó (Mother Holle), Budapest Chamber Theatre–Tivoli, 10 February 2002, etc.). He also appeared on television in children’s programs (Gyalogbéka). Parallel to this, he directed an increasing number of productions for adults (for example: Gyertyafénykeringő (Waltz by Candlelight), Jászai Mari Theatre, 20 November 1995; Vőlegény (The Bridegroom), Zsigmond Móricz Theatre, 21 March 1998; Harmadik Richárd (Richard III), Karinthy Theatre, 10 November 2000; Az okos mama (The Clever Mother), Turay Ida Company–Budapest City Theatre, 27 March 2004; Döglött aknák (Deadly Mines), Turay Ida Theatre–Budapest–KUSZA, South Buda Cultural and Leisure Centre, 16 December 2006, etc.). He worked at the Karinthy Theatre, the Merlin Theatre, the Budapest Chamber Theatre, the Vörösmarty Theatre of Székesfehérvár, and from 2003 for four seasons he served as chief director of the Turay Ida Company. Since 2008 he has also been directing regularly in Kecskemét as a theatre director.
As an actor, he played both prose and musical roles at the Madách Theatre, including: Feri Noszty (A Noszty fiú esete Tóth Marival [The Noszty Boy’s Affair with Mari Tóth], 19 November 1982, dir.: György Lengyel), Train Elvis (Macskák [Cats], 25 March 1983, dir.: Tamás Szirtes, co-director: László Seregi), Judge Hector Revalier (The Truth), 20 January 1990, dir.: István Kolos), Liliomfi (Liliomfi, 21 September 1991, dir.: István Iglódi, guest director), David (Social Games), 16 June 1995, dir.: Tamás Szirtes), Fred (Isten pénze [based on A Christmas Carol], 23 December 1995, dir.: Viktor Nagy), Paul Bratter (Barefoot in the Park, 12 June 1998, dir.: Tamás Szirtes), Ken Gorman (Rumors), 25 September 1998, dir.: Tamás Szirtes), Gabe (Dinner for Four, 23 June 2001, dir.: Tamás Szirtes), and Alexander MacColgie Gibbs (Cocktail at Six, 28 January 2006, dir.: János Ács), among others.
National Theatre
The single season he spent at the National Theatre fulfilled the hopes he had attached to it. His first role was Balga in Csongor és Tünde (Csongor and Tünde), whose open-air premiere took place on 21 June 1990. The production was directed by the theatre’s director, Imre Csiszár, who, according to Péter Cseke, “interpreted my scenes and my role word for word. (…) A true artistic, creative connection developed between us very quickly and easily. I found myself not being nervous at the premiere, because I knew everything precisely, and I had no scenes left unexamined.”[15] The production received mixed reviews, but according to Tamás Koltai, Péter Cseke’s interpretation and performance were well crafted and unique: “Péter Cseke’s bowlegged Balga is full of natural clumsiness; over the course of the evening, it is his presence that radiates the most originality.”[16]
The director
From 1991 onward, as a freelancer, he continued to work in several fields simultaneously. His directing work has already been discussed in connection with Run for Your Wife. As an actor, he also delivered memorable performances outside the Madách Theatre. He played roles such as Arnold (Torch Song Trilogy, Karinthy Theatre, 10 September 1993, dir.: Márton Karinthy), Man (Öbölből vödörbe [From the Bay to the Bucket], Jászai Mari Theatre, 26 February 1994, dir.: Béla Éless), Gaston (Gyertyafénykeringő [Waltz by Candlelight], Klapka Star Theatre – Gutenberg Cultural Centre, 15 October 1994, dir.: György Pethes), Albin, actress (La Cage aux Folles, Karinthy Theatre, 22 April 1997, dir.: Márton Karinthy), Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Richard III, Karinthy Theatre, 10 November 2000, dir.: Márton Karinthy, Péter Cseke), and Probus (Caligula helytartója [The Governor of Caligula], National Theatre Studio Stage, 20 October 2002, dir.: János Taub), among others. Among his many excellent performances, Öbölből vödörbe (From the Bay to the Bucket) is a notable example, in which he and his wife, Bernadett Sára, played a married couple whose everyday life is interwoven with fantasy, revealing the contrast between soaring desires and the ordinariness of reality, marked by alternating tragedy and wry irony. The play’s author, Guy Foissy, saw the production himself and considered it the best staging of his work. [17] In the production Torch Song Trilogy, directed by Márton Karinthy, he portrayed the life of a gay man filled with struggles and conflicts, opposite Ági Margitai, who played the mother. He described the role as follows: “How can a parent rise above – or can they rise above – the fact that their child is different from other young men of the same age? The scene was written very beautifully and humanely, and I believe Ági Margitai and I performed it with inspiration. (…) I loved performing this play, in which, from the very first moment, I was considered a creative partner.” [18] He also portrayed a gay man in La Cage aux Folles, again directed by Karinthy, but here he was once more able to display his comic talent, working together with László Helyey and later József Kerekes. [19] He played an important role in the staging of both productions.
Solo evenings
During his years in Debrecen he created his first solo evening, compiled from Chekhov short stories, entitled Egy idealista emlékezéseiből (From the Memoirs of an Idealist). Throughout his career, even as a freelancer, he assembled additional solo evenings and later produced several poetry CDs. Together with Ildikó Hűvösvölgyi he created two joint evenings: Kétszemélyes bolondságok (Two-Person Follies) and Jó kedvet! (Cheerfulness!). With his wife, actress Bernadett Sára – who was often his creative partner on stage – he also presented several shared evenings: Talán jó mégis az ember (Perhaps Man Is Good After All, poems by Sándor Márai) and Valaki útravált belőlünk (Someone Has Departed from Among Us, poems by Endre Ady). In addition, several spoken-poetry recordings are associated with his name: Sorsommá lett nagy szerelmem (My Great Love Became My Fate, love poems by Hungarian poets), Kőtörő fű (Stonebreaking Grass, religious poems by 20th-century Hungarian poets), Az Úr érkezése (The Arrival of the Lord, religious poems by 20th-century Hungarian poets), Perhaps Man Is Good After All (poems by Sándor Márai), Valaki útravált belőlünk (Someone Has Departed from Among Us, poems by Endre Ady), Történetek Ré országából (Stories from the Land of Ra, ancient Egyptian tales, with Bernadett Sára) and Útitársaknak (For Fellow Travellers, selected poems by Pope John Paul II). Both the solo evenings and the poetry selections arise from a desire to reveal what cannot normally be seen on stage in such form: reciting poetry and presenting these evenings offer audiences a closer, more personal experience, while also sustaining interest in these genres.
In addition, he did voice dubbing, appeared in television films and series, published the book he co-wrote with his father under the title Two Csekes on Stage, and taught at the Academy of Drama and Film (1994–1997) and at the Hungarian Academy of Dance (2001–2005).
In 2008 he was awarded the Kunó Klebelsberg Prize.
Katona József Theatre in Kecskemét
He entered a new stage of his career in 2008 when he won the directorship of the Katona József Theatre of Kecskemét. In his application and in later statements he emphasized that he would renew and build the theatre’s operations along two fundamental principles. In his 2013 application submitted before his reappointment, he recalled and reaffirmed that he continued to consider these two principles decisive: “first, a good theatre is like a library – everyone can find the performance they enjoy and take it ‘off the shelf’; second, there is no right-wing or left-wing theatre, only good theatre or weak. It is not my place to judge whether these have been realized, but I still consider both ideas valid today.” [20]
As director, he strives for balance in forming the repertoire, staging both classical and contemporary productions, with the latter serving also to support contemporary playwrights. His aim is to create high-quality theatre that the Kecskemét audience can feel is their own. In his application he stressed that a theatre must not become a museum – it must continually strive for innovation while taking audience feedback into account. This perspective is also reflected in the series of invited guest directors and their productions (among those who have directed there are Bertalan Bagó, Attila Béres, Gábor Rusznyák, János Szász, János Mohácsi, Béla Szerednyey and Vlad Troickij), and over the years he has also engaged many actors freshly graduated from universities.
His efforts were well received by critics, which was reflected in awards as well. For example, their production of Bánk bán, directed by Bertalan Bagó (premiere: 21 September 2011, József Ruszt Studio), received considerable attention and acclaim at the 2012 Pécs National Theatre Festival. Borbála Szabó ultimately won the award for Best Dramaturg for her “translation into contemporary Hungarian” of the production text, and the professional discussion following the performance attracted great interest. Building on these successes, alongside his goal of improving the perception of provincial theatres, he now aims for the Katona József Theatre of Kecskemét to eventually attain national status.
Since the beginning of his directorship, the Katona József Theatre of Kecskemét has developed a diverse festival programme. The production Újvilág Passió (New World Passion), directed by Péter Cseke, has been performed every second weekend of June since 2012 as an open-air event in the Kecskemét Arboretum, and later in the Piarist Church of the Holy Trinity in Kecskemét. The aim of the SZÍN-TÁR festival is to feature the young students of drama academies at a festival, thereby fostering relationships between universities and the profession, between students of different universities, and between students and audiences. The programme is enriched by the participation of five universities from three countries: the graduating classes of the universities of Budapest, Kaposvár, Cluj-Napoca, Târgu Mureș and Novi Sad perform, while special emphasis is placed on engaging secondary-school students. Also organized were the events Műérték–Mű érték , the Kecskeméti Országos Zenés Színházi Találkozó (Kecskemét National Musical Theatre Festival), and, in cooperation with the Bács-Kiskun County Police Headquarters, the series Tetthely (Crime Scene). In 2013 a former tradition returned to the programme: OlimpiArt Színészolimpia (OlimpiArt Actors’ Olympics). The artists’ olympiad features such disciplines as chess, basketball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, athletics and small-field football.
He received the László Vámos Prize in 2012. From January 2013 he has been a member of the Christian Cultural Academy. On 15 March 2014 he was awarded the Nádasdy Kálmán Prize. As of 15 July 2015, he was appointed a member of the Body of Experts on Copyright.
From 2016 he has served as a board member of the Theatre Arts College of the National Cultural Fund. In addition, from March 2016 he has held a position on the Professional Advisory Board of the Pécs National Theatre Festival (POSZT), representing the Faculty of Arts of the University of Kaposvár; its task is to discuss artistic and professional questions related to the festival and to provide professional support to the leadership of POSZT Nonprofit Ltd.
He received the County Prima Prize in 2017. In 2018 he was elected vice president of the Hungarian Theatre Society.
In 2018 he began his third term as director with a successful application. He first invited Vajk Szente to direct in 2014, and from 2020 onward Szente has been the theatre’s chief director and his most important collaborator. In 2023, with another successful application, his fourth five-year term began, making him the longest-serving director in the 128-year history of the Kecskemét theatre.
In 2019 he was elected a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.
In 2020 the Kecskemét Theatre was granted national status, recognizing the outstanding artistic work conducted there, and thus under his directorship the Kecskemét National Theatre has become one of the country’s foremost theatrical workshops.
University of Theatre and Film Arts
In 2003 he began his studies at the Doctoral School of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest, where in 2012 he earned a DLA degree (Doctor of Liberal Arts). In his doctoral dissertation he wrote about a topic long important to him, examining the contemporary situation of children’s theatre in Hungary. At the beginning of his dissertation, he provides a brief theoretical overview (defining the key terms of the topic and reflecting on certain theoretical questions), then describes the history of Hungarian children’s theatres from the 18th century onwards. He establishes that the number of Hungarian children’s theatres is disproportionately small compared to their intended audience. Therefore, in the 10th chapter of the dissertation, developing his own idea, he proposes the creation of a Gyerekbirodalom (Children’s Realm) (“I could have written Methodology Centre instead” [21]), which would reach a much broader audience in a targeted way, keeping pace with contemporary expectations in its programming, methods and technical realization.
Welcoming the establishment of the new building of the National Theatre, inaugurated in 2002, he draws a parallel between its prominent role and the potential formation of a central institution for children’s theatres: “In children’s theatre there would likewise be a need for such a point of reference – a cultural centre that not only introduces children to theatre and its related arts, but also conveys our cultural heritage, while at the same time helping them to understand the world through art. This multi-age artistic and informational complex is what I call the Children’s Realm.” [22]
In his proposal he describes the infrastructural characteristics of the theatre, develops a plan for its economic operation, and defines the target groups. On this basis he outlines the artistic plan of the theatre together with the technical requirements necessary for its implementation. At the end of the dissertation, he examines his proposal in light of Hungary’s funding structure at the time, thus providing a practical overview of the topic as well.
His commitment to children’s theatre is further demonstrated by the fact that he delivered his inaugural lecture at the Hungarian Academy of Arts on this topic on 9 May 2014. In his lecture he responded to the question posed in the title – if we want there to still be an audience attending the theatre 30–40 years from now – by presenting the concept he had developed, stating that the cultural education of future theatre-going generations must begin in early childhood.
His newest “role” is likewise tied to cultural education: the Faculty of Arts of the University of Kaposvár invited him to serve as the head teacher of the acting class beginning in 2016/2017. The training takes place in Kaposvár and Kecskemét. Since 2017 he has led the class as an associate professor. [23]
In 2020 he was awarded the title Artist of Merit of Hungary. On 15 March 2021 he received the Kossuth Prize. In 2023 he was elected president of the newly established Kecskemét Regional Working Group of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. In 2023 he also became an honorary member of the Katona József National Theatre of Kecskemét.
As director and artist he takes responsibility not only for the affairs of his own theatre. For many years he has been consistently committed to unifying the theatrical profession and making it independent of political circumstances.
[2016]
[1] Cseke Sándor - Cseke Péter, Színpadon a két Cseke. Életutak, pályaképek, Depé Kft., Budapest, 2006.
[2] Péter Cseke, Application for the position of the director of the Katona József Theatre, Kecskemét, for the period from 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2018.
[3] Cseke Sándor-Cseke Péter, Színpadon a két Cseke. Életutak, pályaképek, Depé Kft., Budapest, 2006. pp. 60-61.
[4] Cseke Sándor-Cseke Péter, Színpadon a két Cseke. Életutak, pályaképek, Depé Kft., Budapest, 2006.133. p.
[5] Source: University of Theatre and Film Arts Student Database, http://szfe.hu/hu/hallgatok-hok/hallgatoi-adatbazis/2258/cseke-peter-2258
[6] Cseke Sándor-Cseke Péter, Színpadon a két Cseke. Life paths, career images, Depé Kft., Budapest, 2006. 146-147.
[7] András Rajk, Kabaré, Népszava, 23 April 1976.
[8] Judit Nagy, Találkozás Péter Csekerel, Film Színház Muzsika, 06 June 1981.
[9] Gábor Turi, A rókafejű nagyúr, The premiere of Volpone at the Kölcsey Cultural Centre, Hajdú-Bihari Napló, 21 October 1979.
[10] "I felt that the 'theatre of today' could not be like that. (...) The 'theatre of today' cannot be satisfied with simply providing the spectator with a diversion. Sándor Cseke-Peter Cseke. Színpadon a két Cseke. Életutak, pályaképek, Budapest, 2006. 194- 195.
[11] Cseke Sándor-Cseke Péter, Színpadon a két Cseke. Életutak, pályaképek, Depé Kft., Budapest, 2006. p. 226.
[12] Interview of Zsuzsa Berkes with Györg Lengyel, Képes 7, 15 November 1986.
[13] Tamás Bécsy: Camus: Caligula, Theatre, April 1987
[14] "He tries to be consistent in a disintegrating world, he wants to serve humanity with the greatest gift, equality, he wants to be pure in evil, he accepts to become the fate of his subjects, he 'worships' the wretched and cowardly man, he writes his work of death with his life and his reign. He reaches for the infinite agony, he liberates himself, the absurd, he drives it to infinity - yet he cannot realize the impossible, the man living in truth. These many colours, variations and attempts at good and evil are created by Peter Cseke, and his creation is the main meaning and merit of the performance." András Barta. Caligula, Magyar Nemzet, 29 November 1986.
[15] Sándor Cseke - Péter Cseke, Színpadon a két Cseke. Életutak, pályaképek, Depé Kft., Budapest, 2006. 252.
[16] Tamás Koltai, Üdlak, Élet és Irodalom, 05 October 1990.
[17] "My play has been performed in France - in several theatres - in Ljubljana, and even in Canada, Japan and Venezuela, but the Hungarian director Béla Éless has best found the style of this comedy, which could be described as grotesque or absurd. He has found two great actors, Péter Cseke and Bernadett Sára, to imagine it. I feel that as a result of their collaboration, the message of my work has been fully conveyed to the audience. I have always had a very high opinion of Hungarian theatre, and I have experienced this 'first hand', so to speak." N.N.: Interview with Guy Foissy, Új Magyarország, 07 March 1994.
[18] Cseke Sándor-Cseke Péter, Színpadon a két Cseke. Életutak, pályaképek, Depé Kft., Budapest, 2006., p. 258.
[19] "When the 'odd couple', Georges and Albin, are about to marry, and when real madness breaks into their otherwise uneventful lives, as Georges' son, born of a Baekes, is about to get married, Helyey and Cseke are constantly bidding for each other, driving each other crazy with jokes - the subtle ones, the almost signal ones, and the laugh-out-loud ones." N.N.: Őrült nők ketrece, Képes Európa, 04 June 1997.
[20] Péter Cseke, Application for the position of the director of the Katona József Theatre, Kecskemét, for the period from 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2018.
[21] Péter Cseke, History of Children's Theatre in Hungary, Doctoral dissertation, 2011. 98.
[22] Ibid.
[23] N.N.: SZÍN-TÁR 2016. Kecskemét is the place where the graduating students of theatre arts present themselves, kecskemetikatona.hu, 1 March 2016, https://www.kecskemetinemzeti.hu/hu/hirek/szin-tar-2016-kecskemeten-mutatkoznak-be-a-vegzos-szinmuveszetisek--11717.html