Blood, Sweat, and Queers is 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 Zdena Koubkova (1913-1986), celebrated in the sports world of the time as a “wonder woman” and holding several world records until she was identified as intersex in 1936, changed her gender, underwent surgery to become Zdenek Koubek. Together with the main character’s life story, Dianiska’s play also describes the increasing fascism of the 1930s, permeated by homophobia, transphobia and gender stereotypes.

Blood, Sweat, and Queers. Playwright: Tomas Dianiska. Translated from Czech by: Edward Einhorn and Katarina Vizina. Directed by: Barbora Schnelle and Henning Bochert (Drama Panorama: Forum for Translation and Theatre). Performed by: Zinzer Jay, Laura Heisler, Jason Liebman, Natalia Payne. Running time: 90 min; reading in English, talkback in English and possibly Czech.

This event is part of the 2024 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival: Dark Dreams. For more information, visit rehearsalfortruth.org.

Free and open to the public. Suggested donation $10. Seats are limited, on first-come, first-served basis. Online registration is required.

Produced by: Vaclav Havel Center, Drama Panorama: Forum für Übersetzung und Theater e. V. (Forum for Translation and Theatre). Sponsored by Drama Panorama.

The 2024 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival: Dark Dreams is organized by BBLA and the Vaclav Havel Center. The program 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. The festival is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival is an annual showcase of contemporary Central and Eastern European theater, established in 2017. The festival is a shared endeavor of the Vaclav Havel Center and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association in partnership with numerous other cultural and performing arts organizations. The festival honors the artistic and political legacy of the Czech playwright/dissident/president Vaclav Havel. We support exchanges between American and European theater professionals and celebrate the power of the theater to transform our lives.