Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival is organized each year in New York City by the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association, in partnership with Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and Slovak performing arts organizations and cultural institutes. The festival is organizes in collaboration with Czech Center New York.
The series of events highlight the legacy of Vaclav Havel as a playwright through live performances, panel discussions, and exhibitions. One key objective is to establish exchanges between American and Central European theater professionals. The festival reflects Havel’s contribution to 20th-century theater as well as his belief in the potential of Central European cultural traditions to enrich human existence in the modern age. The festival is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Council Member Ben Kallos.
More info here: https://www.rehearsalfortruth.org
Rehearsal for Truth 2021: Audience
Wednesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, June 29, 8:00 p.m.
Experience engaging contemporary performances from Central Europe, the US, and South Africa at the 2021 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival. The presented “Audience” is a Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre new version of Vaclav Havel’s classic autobiographical play.
Featuring live actors and traditional marionettes, the one-act play follows Ferdinand Vanek, a distinguished playwright forced to work in a brewery because his writings have been banned by the Communist regime. Read more: https://www.rehearsalfortruth.org/program/audience.
Playwright: Vaclav Havel Director: Vit Horejs Performed by: Vit Horejs (Vanek), Theresa Linnihan (Brew master), Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre Production design: Alan Barnes Netherton Production stage management: Hjordis Linn-Blanford Marionettes: Milos Kasal, Jakub "Kuba" Krejci Costumes and Vanek marionette: Theresa Linnihan Producer: Bonnie Sue Stein/GOH Productions
Rehearsal for Truth 2021: The Art of Dissent
Monday, June 21, 8:00 p.m.
Experience engaging contemporary performances from Central Europe, the US, and South Africa at the 2021 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival. The presented documentary “The Art of Dissent” celebrates the power of artistic engagement in Czechoslovakia to build a civil society before and after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion.
The documentary’s main protagonists—playwright Vaclav Havel, banned singer Marta Kubisova, and underground rock group the Plastic People of the Universe—became the most recognizable dissidents during the 1970s and 1980s. The film, a co-production with Czech TV, combines rare archival footage with recent interviews filmed over three years in the Czech Republic, England, and the United States. Read more: https://www.rehearsalfortruth.org/program/the-art-of-dissent.
Director: James Dean Le Sueur Music: Tom Larson
Protocol (link: https://www.rehearsalfortruth.org/2021-festival-safety-protocol ).
Event is free and open to the public. RSVP through Eventbrite is required. (registration link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rehearsal-for-truth-2021-audience-tickets-156432571031?aff=ebdsoporgprofile)
Due to COVID-19 restrictions for indoor events, seating capacity is limited. Reservations must be made in advance. No tickets will be available at the door, and anyone who has not received pre-event confirmation will be turned away. Read about Festival Safety Protocol (link: https://www.rehearsalfortruth.org/2021-festival-safety-protocol ).
