2022 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival: Under Pressure June 12– 25, 2022

Experience engaging contemporary plays by Eastern European playwrights addressing political circumstances and social trends. Dedicated to the people of Ukraine fighting for their independence.

The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association

are pleased to present the 2022 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival honoring playwright and human rights activist Vaclav Havel. From June 12 to June 25, the Bohemian National Hall will feature works from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary, and the US. Myriad formats of contemporary theater performances will accompany engaging discussions concerning individual actions during times of distress.

With modern life constantly presenting us with new challenges, the festival’s fifth edition, Under Pressure, offers a safe space for reflection and dialogue in order to inspire our New York City audience to find novel means of living in tolerance and peace.

The presented pieces examine the human experiences during war and under oppressive political regimes, telling stories of ordinary people responding to unprecedented circumstances in unexpected ways. These are accounts of people who counter pressure and distress by fighting and laughing at dictators as well as absurd ideologies.

FULL PROGRAM

All performances are followed by talkbacks. The festival is free to the public. Online registration through Eventbrite is required: www.rehearsalfortruth.eventbrite.com. Suggested donation ($10) will be used to support Ukrainian refugees. All collected funds will be donated to People in Need, a Czech non-governmental, non-profit organization with over 20 years of experience in helping people in emergencies all over the world.

Wearing of a face mask inside the venue is required.

ABOUT THE 2022 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH THEATER FESTIVAL

The 2022 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival is organized by the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York, GOH Productions, Czech National Trust, Svanda Theatre, Terezin Music Foundation, Trap Door Theatre, and Yara Arts Group.

The festival is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts, Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Ministry of Human Capacities, Hungary, and Society for the History of Czechoslovak Jews. Promotion partners are the Czech Center New York and the Consulate General of Slovakia in New York.