THE 2026 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL | june 15 - 27, 2026
Hope
Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival is an annual showcase of contemporary Central and Eastern European theater. The festival honors the legacy of Vaclav Havel with performances that engage with politics, human rights, and other important global questions, featuring work that is bold and often experimental in form. Each edition of the festival addresses current sociopolitical trends in Central and Eastern Europe, offering New York audiences a unique opportunity to witness the region’s theatrical zeitgeist. This is the 10th edition of the festival.
The festival is a shared endeavor of the Vaclav Havel Center (VHC) and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA). The 2026 festival is also being produced in partnership with Untitled Theater Company No. 61.
This year's festival, entitled Hope, runs June 15 - 27. It features work and artists from Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Hope was once defined by Havel as "not a prognostication...but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed." We believe that creating art is in itself a hopeful act, and that coming to see the works of artists is an important act of hope as well.
The program will primarily feature theater, including full productions from Europe and American workshop collaborations with foreign artists. We also have a set of films about Jewish artists in Poland and we conclude the festival with an evening of comedy. All the programming is free with a suggested donation of $25. Please donate if possible. Finances for the arts have become more difficult every year, and our ability to offer this festival is more dependent than ever on your help.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Please go through our program and find some shows that appeal. We look forward to seeing you.
“The kind of hope I often think about (especially in situations that are particularly hopeless, such as prison) I understand above all as a state of mind, not a state of the world. Either we have hope within us or we don’t; it’s a dimension of the soul; it’s not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation. Hope is not prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.”
Organizers
The Vaclav Havel Center
Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association
CO-PRODUCERS
Austrian Cultural Forum
Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York
Czech Center New York
Divadlo DPM
EUNIC
Hungarian House
Hura Collective
Romanian Cultural Institute
Untitled Theater Company No. 61
PROMOTION PARTNERS
Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria
Consulate General of Slovakia in New York
Polish Cultural Institute
FUNDERS
The Henderson Fund
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature
FESTIVAL TEAM
Edward Einhorn | Artistic Director
Berit Johnson | Production Manager
D Henry Hanson | Assistant Production Manager
Nu Ave Art | Web Master/Marketing
Marek Soltis | Technical Manager & Sound
Jiri Mirovsky | Technician
Steve Prue | Photography
Katarina Mirovsky | Accounting
Everyman Agency | Publicity
Julia Purdy, Lucy Zener | Production Interns
KADS New York, Katerina Kyselica | Brochure Design
VENUE
Bohemian National Hall, New York City
Hungarian House, New York City
2026 PROGRAM
Extra01rdinary Aliens (Romania)
In association with The Hearth Supported Productions and The Sống Collective. Written by Carolina Ðỗ. Directed by Vas Eli
more shows coming soon…
Production Photos for 2026
