THE TRAVESTY OF TRUTH In The 2019 Rehearsal For Truth Theater Festival

The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation (VHLF) and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA) are pleased to present the third edition of the Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival. Through five international performances and four special events, the festival examines different nuances of truth. The program runs from September 24 until October 7 at Manhattan's Bohemian National Hall and offers a notable occasion for adventureof the mind and conduits for shared encounters.

The 2019 Rehearsal for Truth program, based on the concept of "The Travesty of Truth," encourages participants to enter a dialogue on pressing matters that pervade our post-truth era.

"The time when boundary is blurred between truth and lie, theater holds the power to re-establish relationships between participants through a common engagement and common experience of truth," states Pavla Niklova, Director of the Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival.

While some scheduled shows consider the matters of historical memory, cultural traditions or manipulation of facts (Truth (Poland), Audience (Czech Republic), Hungarian Acacia (Hungary)), others delve into the more intimate realm by raising questions of privacy and personal boundaries in relationships (Watch Now (Slovakia), Woman Alone (Romania)).

VHLF and BBLA have partnered with Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak and Romanian performing arts and cultural institutions to host the 2019 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival-a showcase of exemplars from contemporary European theater. While paying homage to Vaclav Havel's legacy as a playwright, dissident and political thinker, the selected performances address current sociopolitical trends in Central Europe, offering New York audiences a unique opportunity to witness the region's theatrical zeitgeist.

"I was probably attracted to theater (among other things) because, of all the artistic disciplines, it has the greatest potential to be a social phenomenon in the true sense." --Vaclav Havel, Letters to Olga, 1983

The 2019 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival takes places at Manhattan's historic Bohemian National Hall. All shows are featured in their original languages with English supertitles. Each is followed by a talkback with the performers along with an afterparty hosted by the countries' cultural institutions and consulates general in New York. Special events include a month-long exhibition showcasing Vaclav Havel's playwright trajectory, a live virtuoso performance by orchestra Gypsy Devils and a vibrant panel discussion. The 2019 Gala celebrates the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution that brought freedom to Central and Eastern European countries. It honors Ambassador Craig Stapleton and Mrs. Dorothy Stapletonand presents the Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk.

All Rehearsal for Truth productions are free to the public except the Gala. Online registration through Eventbrite is required: rehearsalfortruth.eventbrite.com.

For the first time, two plays from the Rehearsal for Truth program will debut at the Jersey City Theater Center. The Slovak dance performance Watch Now will be featured on September 26, followed by the Polish play Truth on September 27. To find out further information, visit www.jctcenter.org. In addition, Vaclav Havel's play Audience will be featured at Davis Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C., on October 2, and at Chopin Theatre in Chicago on October 6, and Romanian play Woman Alone will be presented on September 27 at the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York as part of their Romanian-American Studio Theater series.