The Astronaut is a tender but sad exploration of a relationship between a father and his son. Through a series of monologues offering advice to his son—a silent figure dressed in an astronaut suit—a Czechoslovakian refugee of the 1968 Prague Spring inadvertently traces the consequences of this historical event on his life, values, and personal relationships.
The Astronaut (2023), Germany. Playwright/director: Lucia Mann. Co-director: Arnon Grunberg. Cast: August Zirner.
Running time: 60 min. Language: English.
The performance is followed by a talkback.
This event is part of the 2023 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival: Anew. 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 through Eventbrite is required.
This event is presented by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center.
Accompanying program
The Astronaut, June 8, 12:30 p.m., livestreamed discussion
Join us at 12:30 p.m. for a livestreamed discussion hosted by The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center.
Playwright Lucia Mann and Pavla Niklova, Director, Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival. Moderated by Frank Hentschker, executive director of the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY.
The event will be streamed on howlround.com (search for ‘live stream today’).
The 2023 Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival: Anew, organized by the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York, GOH Productions, Trap Door Theatre, Centre of Jewish Culture STETL, Jan Mocek, Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, Palissimo Company, and Romanian Cultural Institute.
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, Arts and Theatre Institute in Prague, and Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.