SHOW TRIAL by Laura Zlatos to Make World Premiere at The Tank
Tom Costello directs the play, based on recently discovered recordings from a 1950s Communist show trial.
The Tank (Artistic Director's Meghan Finn and Johnny G. Lloyd) with support from Mateo King West will present the World Premiere of Show Trial, written by Laura Zlatos (Happily After Ever at 59E59), and directed by Tom Costello (And Then the Rodeo Burned Down at Ars Nova) at The Tank (312 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018), October 15-November 8.
One woman stands alone against an oppressive regime. Show Trial turns state propaganda into farce-with choreographed confessions, scripted testimony, and a healthy disregard for reality. Drawn from the real transcripts of the 1950 trial of Milada Horáková, the Czechoslovak dissident accused of treason by a regime that had already written the verdict, it's a political satire about the choices we make when history belongs to the victors.
Show Trial was written using audio recordings of the 1950 trial, originally made by the Communist Party for propaganda purposes. However, much of the recordings were deemed unusable and were never broadcast in their entirety because lead defendant Milada Horáková repeatedly deviated from the script that was prepared for her. The recordings were subsequently suppressed and forgotten until 2005, when journalist Marek Janač discovered three reels in an unmarked box at the National Archives in Prague. For Show Trial, these recordings were transcribed and translated from Czech to English for the first time. Portions of the transcripts appear in the play verbatim, while others are satirized or omitted. The play also incorporates original sequences that embrace the absurdity of the proceedings, interwoven with surreal and imagined glimpses into Milada Horáková's life leading up to her arrest.
Show Trial was developed with Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company in 2022 and at Divadlo Bez zábradlí, in collaboration with Prague Shakespeare Company, in Prague in 2023. It was also a 2024 Finalist for the Jane Chambers Award.
Performances will take place on:
- Thursday, October 15 at 7pm (Press Preview)
- Friday, October 16 at 7pm (Press Preview)
- Saturday, October 17 at 7pm (Opening Night)
- Monday, October 19 at 7pm
- Thursday, October 22 at 7pm
- Friday, October 23 at 7pm
- Saturday, October 24 at 7pm
- Monday, October 26 at 7pm
- Thursday, October 29 at 7pm
- Friday, October 30 at 7pm
- Sunday, November 1 at 3pm
- Monday, November 2 at 7pm
- Thursday, November 5 at 7pm
- Friday, November 6 at 7pm
- Saturday, November 7 at 7pm
- Sunday, November 8 at 3pm
Tickets are available for advance purchase at https://thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/showtrial. The show will run approximately 100 minutes, with no intermission.
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