The Hungarian State Theatre and Opera House is among the most reputable cultural institutions of the Hungarians in Romania. The first theatrical representations in Cluj go back to 1792, when they were held in the Rhedey Palace. As a consequence of the cultural revival at the end of the XVIIIth century, the modern theatrical performances demanded an appropriate place. Inaugurated in 1821, the new building, which met the highest European standards, would make Cluj the capital city of the Hungarian performances. It also staged Shakespeare’s works for the first time and other valuable plays.

The present-day building, on the right bank of Somes River, was erected in 1909 on the location of the former Summer Theatre, in Secession style, based on the plans of architects Markus Geza si Spiegel Frigyes. The front with columns and the foyer of the institution were reshaped in 1960.
Since the end of the Second World War, the new building is the only Hungarian State Theatre and Opera House outside Hungary. Gyula E. Kovacs, the initiator of the Shakespeare-Series (1865-1899), Jeno Janovics, founder of the first Hungarian cinema studio (1905-1930), and Gyorgy Harag, a famous director, (1973-1985), left their marks on the Hungarian and European dramatic representations.

Since 1990, under the leadership of director Tompa Gabor, a representative of the Romanian school of directors, the theatre continues Harag's tradition of innovation, based on a repertoire including classical and contemporary masterpieces and a troupe of five generations of actors. The theatre boasts performances directed by famous Romanian and international directors, as Vlad Mugur, Silviu Purcarete, M. Maniutiu, Victor I. Frunza, Mona Chirila, David Zinder and David Grant.

Over the latest 15 years, The Hungarian State Theatre in Cluj was rewarded with important national and international awards for the performance with The Bald Prima Donna (directed by Tompa Gabor), winner of the Best Foreign Performance Award of the Year 1993 in the UK, as well as with three Romania's most important theatre awards, conferred by the Romanian Theatre Association (UNITER) for the best performance of the year. Numerous nominations and more than 110 national and international awards praise the efforts of directors Gabor Tompa, Vlad Mugur, Mihai Maniutiu, as well as of the designers and actors of the Theatre.