Ian Herbert about Gyula and Shakespeare Festival in the Stage magazine.

There’s no obvious reason why any of my readers (hi there, Sid and Doris!) should be making their way to Gyula in Hungary, but if you should have the chance it’s one worth taking about now.
Sadly, Gyula is not really on the road to anywhere, out near the border with Romania and a three hour drive from Budapest. It’s popular, however, with Hungarians (who have no seaside) because of its huge spa complex, with multiple pools for both swimming and the taking of the town’s therapeutic waters. It’s not a historic site in spa terms – the hot springs were only discovered in 1973 as part of a failed exploration for oil. But it does boast, in the same park, a square redbrick fifteenth century castle, perfectly preserved, which looks like one of those crenellated toy forts from which a troop of tin soldiers might emerge.