An annual festival of contemporary Central and Eastern European theater, bringing bold performances and urgent stories to New York stages.
Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival is an annual showcase of contemporary Central and Eastern European theater, presented by the Václav Havel Center and partners at the Bohemian National Hall. Since its founding in 2017, the festival has brought urgent political and social themes to New York stages, honoring the legacy of Václav Havel while fostering dialogue between international artists and audiences.
Spring Readings Series
Thursday, April 23, 7 PM | Ophelia OnlyFans | TICKETS
Thursday, May 21, 7 PM | Antonina | TICKETS
Thursday, May 28, 7 PM | Hitler’s President | TICKETS
Monday, June 1, 7 PM | Vaněk 2026 | TICKETS
All readings are presented in English.
The 2026 edition opens with a Spring Readings Series (April 23–June 1), featuring four staged readings of new and recent plays in translation from Czechia, Ukraine, Slovakia, and beyond. The program includes Tomáš Ráliš’s darkly satirical Ophelia OnlyFans, Tetiana Kytsenko’s intimate war-time portrait Antonina, Luba Lesná’s historical drama Hitler’s President examining Jozef Tiso’s complicity with Nazi Germany, and Vaněk 2026, a cycle of newly commissioned short plays reimagining Václav Havel’s iconic dissident character through contemporary perspectives.
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