An annual benefit gala celebrating the legacy of Vaclav Havel and Czech and Slovak communities’ presence in New York. This year, we will honor the renowned English playwright and screenwriter Sir Tom Stoppard.
With two-time Tony Award-winning actress Christine Baranski hosting the evening . . . Ayad Akhtar, recipient of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for drama, delivering opening remarks . . . triple Tony Award- and quintuple Drama Desk Award-winning director Jack O’Brien introducing Mr. Stoppard . . . and Vaclav Havel’s wife Dagmar Havlova, prominent theater and film actress, presenting Mr. Stoppard with the 2021 BBLA Award for Unparalleled Service to the Czech and Slovak Communities.
The evening will include excerpts from Stoppard’s Rock 'n' Roll and Havel’s Largo Desolato, directed by Michael Sexton, head of the Public Shakespeare Initiative.
Another highlight will be the presentation of the 2021 Disturbing the Peace Award to a Courageous Writer at Risk by Polish writer Adam Michnik to Belarusian poet Dmitri Strotsev.
Tickets are available online through Eventbrite. For more information about the event, please contact us at info@vhlf.org.
2021 Gala Host Committee
2021 GALA HONORARY COMMITTEE
Christine Baranski – Jack O’Brien – Ayad Akhtar – Dagmar Havlova – Nicole Ansari – Brian Cox – Hanna Arie-Gaifman – Gail Papp – Bernard Schwartz – Paul Wilson and Patricia Grant – Michael Zantovsky
2021 GALA HOST COMMITTEE
Benefactors
Madeleine K. Albright
Riprand Graf Arco-Zinneberg and Dr. Gräfin Arco-Zinneberg
Zdenek and Michaela Bakala
Andrew H. Schapiro and Tamar Newberger
Jack and Patricia Stack
Craig and Dorothy Stapleton
Patrons
Joseph Balaz
Pavel and Kimberly Oliva
Elizabeth Rajec
Lise Stone and Stephen B. Heintz
Sponsors
David Breger
Beth and George Drost
Martin Holub
Rob Howse
Susan Justman
Michael Kraus
Margaret Brooks Lobkowicz
William and Wendy Luers
Estera and Vladislav Mlch
Martin Palous
Cecilia Rokusek and Robert Petrik
John Shattuck and Ellen Hume
George and Elizabeth Stevens
Hendrick Vandamme
Tammy Westergard
Carolyn and Malcolm Wiener
Marilyn Wyatt
Fengsuo Zhou
Supporters
Joshua Brook
Geoffrey R. Hoguet
Charlotta Kotik
Olga Levina
Martin Ligr
Nancy Petschek-Kohn
Anna VA Polesny
Julia Quincy
Georgina Silhan Sager
Catherine Sweeney Singer
Carol Strong
Rose Styron
Irene D. Thomas
Eva Vogel
Friends
Eva Derman
Margaret Jackson
John C. Hitchcock
COVID-19 HEALTH PROTOCOL
BBLA and VHLF adhere to all current admission policies regarding Covid-19. Your health and safety remain our highest priority, and we are continually adapting our protocols in line with the CDC, the WHO, and state and federal guidance. Proof of vaccination is required and masks are strongly recommended while you are inside and not seated at your table. The staff and performers will be tested while arriving at BNH on the day of the Gala. They will wear masks during the event unless they are on stage.
New replaceable Air Filters MERV 13, which have been identified to be much more effective in trapping microscopic particles including Covid-19, will be installed in the building for the day of the Gala. Hand sanitizers will be available and bathrooms will be regularly disinfected during the event.
As a courtesy to each other, help us provide a comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone.
This event is organized by BBLA and the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation.