The Art of Dissent celebrates the power of artistic engagement in Czechoslovakia to build a civil society before and after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion. The documentary’s main protagonists—playwright Vaclav Havel, banned singer Marta Kubisova, and underground rock group the Plastic People of the Universe—became the most recognizable dissidents during the 1970s and 1980s. Havel aligned literary, political, philosophical, and rock ’n’ roll forces into a hybrid network that eventually toppled the totalitarian regime.
A co-production with Czech TV, The Art of Dissent combines rare archival footage with recent interviews filmed over three years in the Czech Republic, England, and the United States.
The Art of Dissent (2020, Czech Republic). Directed by: James Dean Le Sueur. Music: Tom Larson. Presented by: Czech Center New York.
This showing is made possible by NUtech Ventures at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Tom Larson will be present at the screening. Larson is Associate Professor of Composition at the Glenn Korff School of Music, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has produced music for film and television for more than 40 years, including film scores for WGBH-TV (Boston), WNET-TV (New York), the PBS Network, and Fox Hollow Films. He is also a jazz pianist, and has recorded CDs of original music in Paris and Tokyo.
Free and open to the public. Suggested donation $10. RSVP through Eventbrite is required.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions for indoor events, seating capacity is limited and on first-come first-served basis. Reservations must be made in advance. Wearing a face mask is required. No tickets will be available at the door, and anyone who has not received pre-event confirmation will be turned away. Read about Festival Safety Protocol.
ABOUT THE 2021 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH THEATER FESTIVAL
The 2021 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival honoring Vaclav Havel is organized by the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association. The program is co-produced by the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, GOH Productions, Czech Center New York, Polish Cultural Institute New York, One-Eighth/Daniel Irizarry Theater, Slovak Consulate General in New York, Palissimo Company, and Arts and Theatre Institute in Prague, Czech Republic.
The 2021 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Council Member Ben Kallos. Additional support is by the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York, Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka – Member of the KBC Group, PACE.V4 – Performing Arts Central Europe, Visegrad Countries Focus, and International Visegrad Fund.