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Spring Weekend 2020: Translating Havel, The Tricky Parts

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In a discussion about Vaclav Havel and the art of literary translation, renowned English translators of Vaclav Havel’s works—Paul Wilson, Jan Novak and Stepan Simek—join playwright Edward Einhorn, Artistic Director of New York City’s Untitled Theater Company #61, to talk about the tricky parts of their projects and interlingual hurdles that accompany their wordcraft. 

Actors from Untitled Theater Company #61—Craig Anderson, Peter Brown, Uma Incrocci, Yvonne Roen and Richard Toth—will perform selected passages that each translator found particularly complicated to deal with: The Memo (1965), Office Party (1963), The Increased Difficulty of Concentration (1968) and Ela, Hela and the Hitch (1961).

The Memo JV Brown: Peter Brown, Uma Kalous: Uma Incrocci

Office Party (translated by Jan Novak) Scene 1. Executive 1: Peter Brown, Executive 2: Uma Incrocci, Slug: Craig Anderson. Scene 2. CEO: Richard Toth, Executive 2: Uma Incrocci, Hue: Edward Einhorn

The Increased Difficulty of Concentration Hummel: Richard Toth, Balthazar: Yvonne Roen, PAZUK: Uma Incrocci, Krieger: Craig Anderson

Ela, Hela, and the Hitch Ela: Uma Incrocci, Hela: Yvonne Roen, Driver: Craig Anderson

The discussion is followed by Q&A. It is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit the festival website www.rehearsalfortruth.org.

This event will be broadcasted online, live on Zoom.us. RSVP is required to receive password for free viewing. RSVP online through Eventbrite.

ABOUT THE 2020 SPRING WEEKEND

The 2020 Spring Weekend: The Unimaginable of Reality is organized by the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation (VHLF) and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA) in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York and Untitled Theater Company #61. Spring Weekend is part of the Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival honoring the playwright and human rights activist Vaclav Havel. The 2020 edition showcases contemporary European plays through live online readings performed and directed by New York City–based actors and directors. The program has been conceived in consultation with Attila Szabo, Deputy Director, Hungarian Theatre Museum and Institute; Vladislava Fekete, Director, Theatre Institute in Bratislava; Zuzana Ulicianska, Chair, the Slovak Center - International Association of Theatre Critics; and Tomek Smolarski, Performing Arts Programming, Polish Cultural Institute New York. It is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.