News: New Production of Havel's "Unveiling" Opens in October to Honor Havel's 90th Birthday

Image courtesy of Untitled Theater Company No. 61

In honor of what would have been the 90th birthday of legendary playwright and former Czech President Václav Havel, a new production of his sharp, political satire Unveiling (Vernisáž) will open in New York City this October following an opening preview performance in Chicago. Tickets are available at untitledtheater.com, 

Václav Havel (1936–2011) was one of the premier absurdist dramatists of the 20th century, winning multiple OBIE Awards in New York for his theatrical masterworks. A prominent political dissident and leader of the 1989 Velvet Revolution that peacefully overthrew Soviet rule, Havel went on to serve as the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic.

Written in 1975 while Havel’s work was banned by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, Unveiling is a darkly comic critique of individuals who compromise their ethics in exchange for government favors and material privileges. The plot centers on Havel’s iconic alter-ego, Ferdinand Vaněk, as he visits the home of old friends who aggressively attempt to seduce him into accepting the same moral compromises they have made. Havel’s biting wit makes Unveiling both hilariously uncomfortable and strikingly relevant—a 45-minute farce that exposes the desperation of a society losing its moral bearings.

To reflect the play's historic origins—when banned scripts were secretly performed in private apartments across Prague—the primary New York run will take place in an ultra-intimate environment at Torn Page in Chelsea, accommodating fewer than 25 audience members per show.

Translated by Jan Novak and directed by Edward Einhorn, Unveiling features a cast including Craig Anderson, Bob Brader, and Yvonne Roen, with costumes by Ramona Ponce and stage management by Berit Johnson. Einhorn is a director, playwright, librettist, and the Artistic Director of Untitled Theater Company No. 61: A Theater of Ideas, as well as the Artistic Director of the Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival. He has a long history with Václav Havel's body of work, having curated The Havel Festival in 2006, a landmark festival of Havel's complete theatrical plays with Havel himself in attendance. Einhorn's work has been produced across New York City at venues such as La MaMa, 3LD, HERE Arts Center, The Ohio/New Ohio, and the Bohemian National Hall, and sis productions have been praised by The New York Times as "exquisite, ingenious" and "dramatically shrewd."

The production is presented by Untitled Theater Company No. 61 in cooperation with the Czech Center New York and Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival, an annual international theater festival organized by the Václav Havel Center and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA). Honoring the artistic and political legacy of Václav Havel, the festival showcases contemporary Central and Eastern European theater that actively engages with politics, human rights, and pressing socio-political questions.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Torn Page (435 W 22nd Street, New York, NY)

Dates: October 1 – October 17, 2026
Schedule: Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:00 PM; Saturday Matinees at 3:00 PM
Format: Intimate living-room theater (Only 25 seats per show; walk-up involves stairs)
Admission: Tickets available by donation

Bohemian National Hall (321 E 73rd Street, New York, NY)

Date: Monday, October 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Special Event: Celebratory performance honoring Havel’s 90th birthday. The performance will be followed by a post-show panel discussion on Václav Havel’s theatrical and political legacy, as well as celebratory birthday goulash.
Admission: Tickets $25