THE 2025 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL | may 26-June 15, 2025
Perseverance
Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival is an annual showcase of contemporary Central and Eastern European theater, established in 2017. The festival is a shared endeavor of the Václav Havel Center and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association in partnership with numerous other cultural and performing arts organizations. The festival honors the artistic and political legacy of the Czech playwright/dissident/president Václav Havel. We support exchanges between American and European theater professionals and celebrate the power of the theater to transform our lives.
The 2025 festival, entitled Perseverance, runs May 26 - June 15. This year’s festival (including the reading series) features work from Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. We live in a difficult time, a time when war has returned to Eastern Europe, and democracies across the world are more at threat than they have been in decades. Havel's once said that the answer lies "in the human heart", and his example shows us how we can persevere through even the most trying of circumstances. The theater we present tackles that subject, using love and humor as two of our greatest tools, as we work to persevere.
The program will be primarily theater, including full productions coming from Europe, American productions of foreign works, puppetry, clown, music, opera on film, a livestream from Salzburg, and more. For the first time we will have one show with multiple performances: the play Blood, Sweat, and Queers, a new play by Tomáš Dianiška that was featured as a reading in last year’s festival. The play tells the true story of Zdenek Koubek, a Czech runner from the 1930’s who won the world’s record in women’s track and then was one of the first people to transition to male. Blood, Sweat, and Queers will be $20/ticket, and for all other programs we ask for a $15 donation if you can afford it ($10 for our film and livestream). It makes continuing our work possible.
Please go through our program and find some shows that appeal. We look forward to seeing you.
“The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility.”
Organizers
The Vaclav Havel Center
Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association
CO-PRODUCERS
Austrian Cultural Forum
Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York
Czech Center New York
Divadlo DPM
EUNIC
Hungarian House
Hungarian House
Hura Collective
Polish Cultural Institute
Romanian Cultural Institute
Untitled Theater Company No. 61
PROMOTION PARTNERS
Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria
Consulate General of Slovakia in New York
FUNDERS
The Henderson Fund
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature
FESTIVAL TEAM
Edward Einhorn | Artistic Director
Berit Johnson | Production Manager
D Henry Hanson | Assistant Production Manager
Nuave Art | Web Master/Marketing
Marek Soltis | Technical Manager & Sound
Jiri Mirovsky | Technician
Steve Prue | Photography
Katarina Mirovsky | Accounting
Everyman Agency | Publicity
Victoria Blass, Julia Purdy, Sravya Sarawatula | Productions Interns
KADS New York, Katerina Kyselica | Brochure Design
VENUE
Bohemian National Hall, New York City
Hungarian House, New York City
2025 PROGRAM
Blood, Sweat, and Queers (CZECHIA/USA) | Live Theater
By Tomas Dianiška. Translated by Edward Einhorn and Katarina Vizina. Directed by Edward Einhorn. Co-produced by Untitled Theater Company No. 61. Cast: Craig Anderson, Herschel Blatt, Jean Marie Keevins, Alyssa Simon, Katarina Vizina, and Hennesy Winkler.
King Stakh’s Wild Hunt (BELARUS) | Opera on Film
From the book by Uladzimir Karatkievich. Music by Olga Podgaiskaya. Director, Dramaturgy and Original Text Adaptation: Nicolai Khalezin. Director: Natalia Kaliada. From Belarus Free Theatre.
The Amateurs (SLOVAKIA) | Live Theater
By Lenka Garajová. Directed by Šimon Ferstl.
Presented by Divadlo DPM. Cast: Šimon Ferstl, Jakub Jablonský, Lenka Libjaková, Martin ISO Krajčír, Kriss Krimm, Tomáš Pokorný.
Marketa Foukalova (CZECHIA) | Live Music and Poetry
Performed in Czech and English. Followed by a discussion with Chris Harwood about Zábrana.
Connection (BELARUS/AUSTRIA) | Livestream Theater
By Maryna Yakubovich. Sponsored by the Austrian Cultural Forum.
Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble (POLAND) | Live Clown Theater
Created by Piotr Sikora. With the Polish Cultural Institute
Psyche (HUNGARY) | Live Theater
From the poems by Sándor Weöres. Translated by David Cseh. Directed by Mark Tarnoki. Performed by Stella Abel. Produced by Steve Green and Andrew Nance. From The Broadcast Studios.
The Pit (ROMANIA) | Live Theater
By Matei Visneic. Directed by Ana Margineanu. Cast: Owen Campbell, Vas Eli, Perri Yaniv. With the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Erben: Vlasy (CZECHIA) | Live Puppetry
From Hura Collective. Directing, set, puppets, music: Hza Bažant. Dramaturgy: Leona Bažant Telínová. Cast: Hza Bažant and Leona Bažant Telínová
Kafka's Ape (SOUTH AFRICA, CZECHIA, AUSTRIA) | Live Theater
Adapted by Phala Ookeditse from the story by Kafka. Performed by Tony Miyambo
Production Photos for 2025