THE 2024 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH THEATER FESTIVAL Spring Reading series | May 17 - June 3, 2024
2024 SPRING READINGS
The 2024 Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival’s Spring Readings took place from May 17 – June 3. It offered stage readings and a glimpse of a first rehearsal of contemporary plays by award-winning European playwrights from Belarus, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania.
Each festival’s spring edition is a unique opportunity for a truly intercultural and multigenerational examination of Central and Eastern European present-day trends and the not-so-distant, turbulent past. The state of affairs in the region—the Russian invasion of Ukraine—has only amplified the need for our closer examination of human nature as well as a search for peace and place to belong.
During four evenings, a number of riveting stories were told: Maryia Bialkovich, a former member of the Belarus Free Theatre explored the origins of violence, social and personal norms that do not always reflect reality. (Any Spot with Marks Left Behind); Krisztina Toth offered a biting commentary on a Hungarian society marked by hatred, recrimination, and ultimately sorrow. (The Bat); Vladislava Fekete wrote about the continuing ramifications of a childhood spent in the Slovak minority in Vojvodina, Serbia during the war (Brief Connections); and we presented the first rehearsal of a play adapted from a novel by Nobel-Prize winner Herta Müller, a series of episodes that center on mundane aspects of daily life in a remote village against the backdrop of the oppressive atmosphere of mid-twentieth century Romania (Lowlands).
The Reading Series is a prelude to 2024’s edition of Rehearsal for Truth: Dark Dreams, which will run June 12 – 23.
“The reading series provides a rare opportunity to hear artistic voices from Central and Eastern Europe. We are at a time marked by war, and once again the region finds itself in the center of conflict. These plays reflect on war, oppression, and its legacy, and they provide a way to connect to both the human trauma and perseverance that is part of that legacy.”
Organizers
The Václav Havel Center (VHC)
Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA)
PARTNERS
Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York
Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU), New York
Hungarian House
The New Stage Theatre Company
Romanian Cultural Institute
Untitled Theater Company No. 61
PROMOTION PARTNERS
Consulate General of Slovakia in New York
Czech Center New York
Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU), New York
MAIN SUPPORTERS
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York City Council
CONSULTANTS
Martina Peckova-Cerna, Head, International Cooperation Department,
PerformCzech / Arts and Theatre Institute
FESTIVAL TEAM
Edward Einhorn | Artistic Director
Berit Johnson | Production Manager
Patrick Pizzolorusso | Web Master
Jana Krupkova | Marketing
Marek Soltis | Technical Manager & Sound
Lucy Zener | Production Assistant
Jiri Mirovsky | Technician
KADS New York, Katerina Kyselica | Festival Visual Identity
Madeline Windland | Photography
Katarina Mirovsky | Accounting
David Gibbs/DARR Publicity | Publicity
VENUE
Bohemian National Hall, New York City
Hungarian House, New York City
2024 SPRING READING PROGRAM
Any spot with marks left behind | STAGE READING
Playwright: Maryia Bialkovich. Director: Edward Einhorn. Cast: Craig Anderson, Jeremy Cohen, Kingsley Nwaogu, Yelena Shmulenson, Moira Stone, Yvonne Roen, Anna Trubachova, Mikhl Yashinsky, Ann Marie Yoo. Translated by: Darya Vashkevich, Edited by: Apeksha Harsh.
First rehearsal for lowlands | STAGE READING, TALKBACK
Playwrights: Herta Müller. Director: Rachel Tamarin. Adapted for Stage by: Mihaela Panainte. Translated by: Jozefina Komporaly. Cast: Annabel McConnachie, Susie K. Taylor, Calaine Schafer, Miguel Loyola, and Vas Eli.
Brief CONNECTIONS | STAGE READING, TALKBACK
Playwright: Vladislava Fekete. Director: Patrice Miller. Cast: Olivia Baseman, Hershel Blatt, Adam Files, Andrea Gallo, Rose Kanj, Katelynn Kennedy Staggs, Nalina Mann, Derrick Peterson, Anna Stefanic, Matthew Trumbull, Katarina Vizina. Translated by: Zuzana Flašková
The Bat | STAGE READING, TALKBACK
Playwright: Krisztina Tóth. Directed by: Ildiko Nemeth. Cast: Ádám Boncz and Sarah Lemp. Translated by: Szilvi Naray-Davey
