Szigligeti Theatre – Historical Exhibition

Exhibition Design / Environmental Graphics / Large-Format Design

The project involved creating the visual system for “Innen mesél nektek…”, a permanent historical exhibition presenting more than a century of theatre history at the Szigligeti Theatre in Szolnok, Hungary.

The exhibition occupies two staircases inside the theatre and follows two parallel narratives: the history of the building and theatrical life in Szolnok, and the history of the theatre company from 1954 to the present.

The Challenge

The main challenge was turning a very large amount of historical content — archival photographs, documents, dates, performances, directors and actors — into an exhibition that felt engaging rather than overwhelming.

The final installation included 1,086 actor names, 71 portraits, decades of performances and more than a century of theatre history.

Because visitors experience the exhibition while moving through the staircases, the visual system needed to work both from a distance and at close range.

The Approach

The design focused on clear hierarchy, visual rhythm and storytelling.

Rather than creating an overly theatrical visual style, the graphics were intentionally kept contemporary and restrained, allowing the archival material and the history itself to remain the main focus.

A consistent system of typography, image treatment, titles and information hierarchy connects the two different historical narratives while still allowing each section to maintain its own structure.

Production Thinking

The project required much more than visual design.

Archival images had to be adapted for large-format production, content had to be edited and prioritised to fit the available surfaces, and every layout had to work within the physical constraints of the architecture.

The result is a visual timeline that guides visitors through the history of the theatre while keeping a highly complex amount of information accessible and engaging.

My role: Exhibition graphic design, visual system, layout design, content structuring and production preparation

Deliverables: Large-format exhibition graphics, historical timelines, information panels, image layouts and production-ready artwork