Staging Sándor Sík Anew

Bozók, Ferenc–Koltai, András (eds.): Sík, Sándor: Összegyűjtött színművek I–III. [Collected Plays I–III] Kairosz, Budapest

Abstract

The review examines the critical edition of Sándor Sík's Collected Plays I–III (Kairosz Publishing, 2025), edited by András Koltai and Ferenc Bozók. The three volumes not only present Sík's dramatic works with philological precision, but also place them in the context of the centuries-old tradition of drama at Piarist schools. The study pays particular attention to the plays Testvérek (Brothers) and Podolini diákok (Podolini Students), which bring issues of religion, morality, and community to the stage. The review highlights the exemplary nature of the publication's scholarly apparatus, while also pointing out the lack of illustrations, which could have added nuance to the visual dimension of the order's theater. Overall, the publication is interpreted as a fruitful encounter between the archives and the stage, which not only documents the past but also opens up new theatrical possibilities: through this edition, Sík's dramas can not only be read but also performed again.