Multiple dates & times:
May 26, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
May 30, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
May 31, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
June 3, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
June 9, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
June 14, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
June 15, 2025, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
One of the most successful plays in contemporary Czech drama and deals with a sports scandal of the interwar period that was hushed up in the Czech Republic for a long time. It is inspired by the life of the successful athlete Zdenek Koubek (1913-1986), celebrated in the sports world of the time as a “wonder woman” and holding several world records until he transitioned to male. Together with the main character’s life story, Dianiška’s play also describes the increasing fascism of the 1930s, permeated by homophobia, transphobia and gender stereotypes. Told in an absurdist style.
Join us for a discussing after the May 26 performance with Chris Harwood about translation, and after the May 29 performance with Michael Waters who will talk about his book, The Other Olympians, which explores Koubek's life along with other athletes of the time who were trans or gender fluid.
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*
*Members of Actor’s Equity Association
Costume design: Ramona Ponce
Video design: Chris Carcione
Sound design: Becca Silver
Art by Carolyn Raship
ABOUT THE 2025 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL
Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival, honoring Václav Havel, is a showcase of contemporary European theater organized each year in New York City. Conceived in 2017 as a shared endeavor of the Václav Havel Center (VHC) and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA), the festival honors the legacy of Czech playwright, dissident and political thinker Vaclav Havel.
Each edition of Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival addresses current sociopolitical trends in Central and Eastern Europe, offering New York audiences a unique opportunity to witness the region’s theatrical zeitgeist.
The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.