A joint fundraiser with our longtime partner AFHLE, Hungarian House. Proceeds will be split between Hungarian House and the Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival.
Enemies of the People is a moving and musical solo performance driven journey through family, history, and self-discovery. The piece follows Kati's search for freedom and understanding as she uncovers the truth about her family's past in post-war Hungary. It's a story of resilience and reflection, told with emotional honesty and artistic purpose.
The series features three short documentary episodes spotlighting jazz artist, Mikołaj Trzaska, burlesque performer, Betty Q and queer/trans visual artists, Marcella Poroszanka & Ezra Wojakowski.
Twelve scenes connected by a certain kind of extreme. Relationships, stereotypes, uncertainties, tensions. Language cut to the bone, silence that speaks. A network of intertwined happenings that lead to crossing our intimate border, to crossing our own portal, to the hope. To the future…
A monodrama, originally created in Kiev by Ukrainian playwright Piotr Armianovski and reinterpreted by Paul Bargetto and Michael Rubenfeld. Inspired by the true story of Dmitry Bogrov, a Ukrainian-Jewish lawyer, double agent, and revolutionary who, in 1911, assassinated Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin at the Kyiv Opera House.
Inspired by the difficult life of Zdena Salivarová and Josef Škvorecký, two exceptional novelists and translators. The play looks at their specific work and difficult life in communist Czechoslovakia and subsequently in emigration in Toronto, Canada. In 1971, the couple founded the exile publishing house ’68 Publishers, about which their friend Milan Kundera declared that "without it, serious printed Czech literature would cease to exist".
A workshop production of the classic absurdist Polish play by Slawomir Mrozek about three shipwrecked men on a raft. In Russian-Austrian director Ira Süssenbach’s interpretation, the raft as an analogy for our society, which has suffered a kind of “shipwreck”: the familiar concepts no longer work in the face of major crises such as climate change, right-wing extremism, wars, natural disasters, and mass migration.
The history of Europe in the 20th century described with perspective, humor and caustic irony. This original dramatization is a devastating commentary on the last century, in which an important role was played by war, the invention of the bra and perforated toilet paper. Through humor, irony, mystification and precise facts, it creates a bizarre testimony to the world of the twentieth century.
Come enjoy our closing evening, with some comedy from these Central and Eastern European comics.
A series of newly commissioned short plays using Václav Havel’s character, Ferdinand Vaněk (or his relatives and descendants) and placing them in modern scenarios, imaging them in the world of today. Vanek was based on Havel himself but because a symbol of the dissident movement in Czechoslovakia.
A new Slovak play by Luba Lesna examining the former Slovak President Tiso and his complicity with Hitler during World War II, based on the book Your Honour, Mr President by Madeline Vadkerty. Madeline Vadkerty will be in attendance to discuss the history behind the play.
A new Ukranian play by Tetiana Kytsenko, translated by John Freedman, exploring the real life of her friend, a nonbinary soldier named Antonina Romanovama. Two actors represent the male and female aspects of Antonins. Translated by John Freedman with Nataliia Bratus. Directed by Lisa Rothe.
A new Czech play by Tomáš Ráliš, translated by Eva Danickova. Nominated for this year's Czech Radok Awards for Best Play. A darkly satirical reimagining of Hamlet’s world, focusing particularly on sexual indiscretions and their political/familial repercussions.
A compelling adaptation of Kafka’s "Report to an Academy,” subtly transforming the original text into a universally relatable yet unsettling exploration of what it means to adapt as an “other” in society.
Psyche, a Romani countess and poet, wanders across Europe during the Napoleonic era in a chauvinistic society that challenges her independence. The first English translation of a one-woman show performed by Stella Abel and adapted from the Hungarian book Psyche: Writings of an Erstwhile Poetess by Sándor Weöres.
After the strange era of climate crisis, social inequalities, and daily burnout, a time of constant bliss arrives. No more crises, no responsibilities, no inequality, and money is available on demand. Your only task is to survive this endless vacation.
A 1 day clown workshop with Piotr Szczęsny Sikora, creator of the punk-rock comedy show, Furiozo. Celebrate imperfection and turn failure into creative fuel through the power of clown. Discover the joy of being fully yourself under the spotlight, take risks, embrace the unexpected, and unlock your unique potential—on stage and in life! All levels welcome.
A visual puppet theatre production from a series of dark adaptations of K. J. Erben's fairytales Hair - Eyes - Death. A king who really liked to chase game. After a series of evil deeds, he longed to chase the game forever. Shadows, live sounds on quills and chimes in the tradition of family puppet theaters.
Police chases, petty theft, drugs and longing for the greatest thrill of all: true love. A disturbing yet absurdly funny portrait of toxic masculinity. You will love him. You will hate him. You will experience the presence of the beast. As Furiozo would say: Live fast; Die.
Show Trial was written using audio transcripts of the 1950 trial of Milada Horákova from the 1950 trial that were intended to be used by the Communist Party for propaganda purposes.
Two men are imprisoned in a deep pit, attempting to make sense of their guilt, their fears, their chances, the looming threat of snakes. A third appears, offering to sell them his wares, as well as the potential for freedom. Will they capitalize on it?
A solo performance performed live in Salzburg and broadcast to the theater. Based on the true stories and letters of Belarusian female political prisoners. This play is about freedom and imprisonment, decisions and consequences, guilt and responsibility, strength and weakness.
A thrilling gothic noir from one of the world’s bravest theatre companies based on the celebrated novel. Featuring acclaimed actors, opera singers and musicians from Belarus and Ukraine.
Three actors receive a script they have never seen before, piece by piece. An interactive situation and design for a theatre evening, that discusses the questions of democracy, the potential for solidarity and participation in increasingly isolated and disconnected societies.
The world premiere of Jan Zábrana's poems set to music by award-winning composer and pianist Martin Brunner. He will be accompanied by Markéta Foukalová, former singer of Hudba Praha and Jasná Páky (now Lanugo).
One of the most successful plays in contemporary Czech drama. The true story of Zdenek Koubek, a runner from the 1930’s who won the women’s world record in track then transitioned to male. Told in an absurdist style.
A comic thriller that mixes wall street-style misdeeds with mafia-style consequences, based on the real Estonian banking scandal in which Russian oligarchs used Estonian banks to launder their money into the EU.
Excerpts from Czech plays that use Havel's character, Vaněk, originally created as a stand-in for himself (a dissident playwright) during the Communist era in Czechoslovakia. The character was then adapted by numerous other Czech dissident playwrights such as Pavel Landovsky and Pavel Kohout. The excerpts will be accompanied by a discussion with Carol Strong, who recently wrote a book about the character and its enduring significance.
A contemporary tragicomedy, a paraphrase of the biblical brothers Cain and Abel, which tells a story of love, friendship and the hatred of otherness fueled by the far-right National Socialists.
A contemporary play dealing with the current war, about a Ukranian family on a farm and a Russian soldier who stumbles into their farm.
Lowlands is a haunting depiction of the moral decomposition of the terminal years of communism seen through the eyes of a child from the German minority of Romania. It is based on a text by the Nobel Prize winning writer Herta Müller.
A daughter’s relationship with her father is always spe- cial, but how does it change if the father is a famous dictator? How does it feel when Dad is a “monster”? Here Moscow Calling dynamites the idea of unique truth and proposes to the audience an intense theatrical-cinematic experience. The camera becomes the main character and the reconstruction of the truth a puzzle to be solved.
Join me, Marta Hermannová, for an engaging workshop based on the puppet theatre production "The Zlín Project," which we will be performing at the festival Rehearsal for Truth. This session will delve into the animation techniques we discovered during the creation of this production. Additionally, we will discuss the integration of puppet theatre with theatre based on real, including historical, events. This workshop is designed for performance attendees interested in deepening their understanding of puppetry and its application in such storytelling. The session will include an introductory talk about "The Zlín Project" and its creative process, followed by small group activities where participants will experiment with the discussed techniques, and a collaborative exploration of the potential of puppetry in theatre. The aim is to introduce participants to the possibilities of puppet theatre that they may not have encountered before, providing new insights and practical experience. The workshop will last one hour.
Tomas Bata’s advisor, Berty Ženatý, wanted to replace fairy-tale characters in children’s stories in the 1920s with clever and skilled industrial workers. A puppet production about the life of the city of Zlín in the era of Baťa. A production about everyday life that is functional, modern, universal, model, routine and effective. Every day, all the time. Until an error occurs.
More than a decade ago, the right-wing extremist terrorist cell known as NSU came across the novel The Turner Diaries by American neo-Nazi William L. Pierce. This work served as a guide for other neo-Nazis world-wide. The performance combines documentary material with fictional literature and creates a disturbing scenario that fundamentally questions the common notion of lone perpetrators.
From Slovakia, with English subtitles. Ingmar Villqist’s Helver’s Night is a thrilling and gut-wrenching play that charts the relationship between Carla and her young charge, Helver. Helver is fascinated by fascism – not by the ideology, which he is unable to grasp, but by the bravura of the movement. With Diana Semanová (Karla) and František Balog (Helver). Production: Terézia Mindošová
Two short dance films from Farm in the Cave. Effemery is about fleeting moments. It was filmed during early Covid in a vast, empty building, with 20 performers in permanent motion. Commander is inspired by real online chats of the neo-Nazi group FKD, which was led by a thirteen-year-old boy operating under the nickname Commander. It uses the chats themselves as the text.
The ability to exist in symbiosis with other creatures on the planet, the importance of respecting the value of all beings, the uniqueness of species and the struggle to preserve them – these are the main themes of the production. The force and power of nature will always find their way and do what is necessary. Riders views human action through the eyes of birds. Of the ancient inhabitants of our planet, sentient, intelligent, free beings, shrouded in mythology. Of the silent observers of our destinies. We had learned from them, admired them and worshiped them. Then we forgot. Birds are the only surviving group of dinosaurs. They were here before us and they will be here long after us.
Based on a dark comedy written in the Terezín Ghetto in 1944 by camp inmate Karel Švenk but banned on the night of its dress rehearsal for fear of SS reprisals. The play the actors are rehearsing in the film pits bike riders (Jews) against lunatics (Nazis), as did the absurdist original—a silly story with a deeply serious message. The Last Cyclist allows audiences to bear witness, as if we too are attend-ing that fateful rehearsal in the concentration camp.
