Havel 90: Program
Days with Havel, Gala, Film Screenings, Theater, Live Podcast & Much More
This fall, we come together to celebrate what would have been Václav Havel’s 90th birthday — and, more importantly, the ideas and values that continue to make his legacy relevant today.
Through theater, film, conversations, and special gatherings, events across the United States will honor Havel not only as a playwright, dissident, and statesman, but as a voice for freedom, human rights, personal responsibility, and the courage to speak the truth.
At a time when democracy and freedom are once again being challenged around the world, remembering Havel means more than looking back. It means keeping his ideas alive, bringing them to new audiences, and asking what they can teach us today.
September 26 | World Premiere: Warning – Havel’s Newly Discovered Play
The 92nd Street Y, New York
A remarkable literary discovery comes to life in the first public reading of Warning — a newly uncovered play by Václav Havel, one of post-war Europe’s leading dissidents, political leaders, and literary artists. Writer Adam Gopnik joins actor F. Murray Abraham for a world premiere staged reading of the play, followed by a conversation.
In-person tickets available here . Use coupon code HAVEL15 for 15% off.
September 30 | Havel at 90 – 2026 Annual Gala
Bohemian National Hall, New York
Vaclav Havel Center and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association invite you to a special evening marking the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth and celebrating the ideas, courage, and vision that continue to inspire action today and shape the future.
October 2 | Havel 90 Festival – Opening Day
Bohemian National Hall, New York
5:30 PM | Workshop: Discovering Václav Havel and Prague
A two-hour storytelling and creative workshop for children ages 7–14. Artist and illustrator Sylva Francová introduces children to Havel and Prague through stories, images, and hands-on creative activities.
6:00 PM | Film: Citizen Havel
Preceded by the three-minute archival film Václav Havel’s Address on Jan Palach’s Sacrifice. A drinks reception follows the main feature to celebrate the festival’s opening.
8:40 PM | Film: A Report on the Party and the Guests
October 3 | Havel 90 Festival – Full-Day Film Program
Bohemian National Hall, New York
4:30 PM | Film: Every Young Man
6:30 PM | Film: Havel’s Audience with History
Followed by a Q&A with filmmaker and producer Michael Wolkowitz.
8:30 PM | Film: The Firemen’s Ball
Another Episode of Dissent Lab with Sergei Lebedev – Be Part of the Live Recording!
Bohemian National Hall, New York
October 4 | 11:00 AM | Live Podcast: Dissent Lab with Sergei Lebedev
A live recording of the Vaclav Havel Center podcast with Russian writer and journalist Sergei Lebedev, exploring historical memory, authoritarianism, and personal responsibility. RSVP here.
The second discussion features Sergei Lebedev, whose work explores the legacy of Soviet repression, historical memory, and the lasting impact of totalitarianism in contemporary Russia.
Copies of Sergei Lebedev’s books will be available for purchase at the event, followed by an opportunity to have them signed by the author.
Lebedev will be interviewed at the Bohemian National Hall screening room by U.S. journalist Peter Green, a former New York Times correspondent who covered the Velvet Revolution and the birth of the Czech Republic.
October 4 | Havel 90 Festival
Bohemian National Hall, New York
3:00 PM | Film: Jan Švankmajer Shorts Series
Featuring Dimensions of Dialogue, Darkness, Light, Darkness, The Garden, and The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia.
5:30 PM | Film: Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me?
October 5 | Theater: Unveiling
Bohemian National Hall, New York
7:00 PM | Theater Performance: Unveiling
October 1-17 | Theater: Unveiling
Torn Page, New York
Theater Performance: Unveiling
A new English-language production of Václav Havel’s darkly comic one-act play, followed by a discussion of his theatrical legacy and a birthday celebration with goulash inspired by Kančí na daňčím.
Havel at 90
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Havel at 90, a very special evening celebrating the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth. This year’s gathering was particularly meaningful for
World premiere of Warning – Havel’s newly discovered play
And this is how we started Havel at 90 in New York. Last night at 92N , Václav Havel’s newly rediscovered play Warning came to life in its world premiere public
Live podcast: Dissent Lab with Sergei Lebedev
Each episode features a modern-day Havel: The Vaclav Havel Center presents this unforgettable series. Vaclav Havel was a writer, human rights activist, and eventual world leader whose political fight for