László Marton (director)

Hungarian theatre director (1943–2019)

László Marton (6 January 1943 – 12 September 2019) was a Hungarian contemporary theatre director. Marton was the artistic director of the Vígszínház and professor of the University of Theatre, Film and Television in Budapest. Marton was known for directing classics through a new lens and his productions have been seen in more than 40 cities throughout the world. He was Honorary Member of the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Marton earned three Dora Mavor Moore Awards for his Chekhov productions in Toronto, for Masterclass Theatre and for Soulpepper Theatre Company, and the Irish Times Theatre Award as Best Director for The Wild Duck, a production he directed for the Abbey Theatre (National Theatre of Ireland) in Dublin. In October 2017, several victims accused Marton of sexual harassment and assault. He initially denied the allegations, but later issued an apology. His employment at Vígszínház was subsequently terminated.

Marton was born in Budapest, Hungary, to Ilona Keresztes, a graduate of École hôtelière de Lausanne, and László Marton, Sr., a representative for a Hungarian foreign trade company. He is also related to Golden Globe Award winner Hollywood movie director Andrew Marton. Marton's interest in theatre took root early in his life, and he was first introduced to the world of opera by his godfather, Hungarian conductor, János Ferencsik. Marton attended the Secondary School of the Piarist Fathers and graduated from the University of Theatre, Film and Television in Budapest in 1967. In the same year, at the age of twenty four he staged his first professional play at the Vígszínház, in Budapest, where he became artistic director in 1987.

Marton's international career started in 1974 in Germany at the Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar. Since then he directed for the Finnish National Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Habima Theatre (Israel's National Theatre), the Barbican Centre in London, Santa Fe Stages in New Mexico, the Court Theatre in Chicago, the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto and others. Some of his most important theatrical works included a new adaptation of Chekhov's Platonov, (by Marton and Susan Coyne) for Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto, and productions of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya for Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto and Playmakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with set and costume designer Michael Levine. In celebration of their 10th anniversary in 2008, (Celebrating 10 Years of history's greatest plays 1998–2008) Soulpepper Theatre Company revived Marton's Production of Uncle Vanya. In 2003 Marton directed a new adaptation of Ibsen's The Wild Duck by Frank McGuinness for The Peacock Theatre in Dublin and later for Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto. His production of Dance in Time for the Vígszínház was invited to the Abbey Theatre's centenary programme in 2004. A year later he directed a production of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen for the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, in a new version by McGuinness. As of September 2009, Marton was directing Mozart's The Magic Flute for the Vígszínház, in collaboration with the Hungarian State Opera House. Marton's productions of great emotional resonance were highly acclaimed by critics for revealing a deep psychological intimacy and bringing new life to classics. An actress said that working with him is "incredibly demanding but he's incredibly kind as well. It just creates an atmosphere where it feels safe to risk things".

On 14 October 2017, Hungarian actress Lilla Sárosdi alleged in a Facebook post that a well known Hungarian theatre director had sexually assaulted her 20 years earlier. A few days later she named Marton as the perpetrator. At first Marton denied the allegations, but suspended his teaching activity and resigned from his position at Vígszínház. On 20 October, two more people anonymously accused Marton of sexual assault. Two days later, 444. hu published an article with similar stories from several new victims. Marton declined to comment on the new allegations. One week after the original allegations, Marton issued a statement "'apologizing for hurting anybody or putting them in a difficult situation", adding that "he never intended to hurt or humiliate anyone". Lilla Sárosdi said she accepted the apology. On the same day two new victims accused Marton of sexual assault. Subsequently, Vígszínház initiated the termination of Marton's employment. Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company revealed it severed ties with Marton back in 2015 after a member of its community filed a complaint about sexual harassment. Marton's relationship with the company was immediately and permanently terminated. Soulpepper said "Marton's behaviour was both unacceptable in human terms and in violation of Soulpepper's past and present policies and codes of conduct."