A Girl on a Trampoline (Czechia)

A Girl on a Trampoline

From Švandovo Divadlo
by Pavel Jurda and Ensemble
Directed by Martin Františák

Inspired by the difficult life of Zdena Salivarová and Josef Škvorecký, two exceptional novelists and translators. The play looks at their specific work and difficult life in communist Czechoslovakia and subsequently in emigration in Toronto, Canada. In 1971, the couple founded the exile publishing house ’68 Publishers, about which their friend Milan Kundera declared that "without it, serious printed Czech literature would cease to exist".

The project is supported by the City of Prague and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

In collaboration with the Czech Center New York and the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York.

presented in Czech with English supertitles; 140 minutes with one intermission

Set by Irena Čajková, T. G. Masaryk Czech School, and Vlad Havlik, Remodeling with Style, Inc.

Cast: Andrea Buršová, Marek Frňka, Barbora Křupková, Jan Mansfeld, Matěj Anděl, Katarína Mišejková, Jiří Bobysut, and Martin Františák

Director: Martin Františák; Stage adaptation: Martin Františák and Johana Součková Němcová; Dramaturgy: Johana Součková Němcová; Stage design and Costumes: Eva Zezula; Music: Ivan Acher; Choreography: Zoja Mikotová; Video projection: František Pecháček; Production: Tereza Marková; Assistant director and Stage manager: Barbora Soukupová Osvaldová; Tour manager: Martina Deleau

Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival, honoring Václav Havel, is a showcase of contemporary European theater organized each year in New York City. Conceived in 2017 as a shared endeavor of the Václav Havel Center (VHC) and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA), the festival honors the legacy of Czech playwright, dissident and political thinker Vaclav Havel. The 2026 festival is being produced in partnership with Untitled Theater Company No. 61.

Each edition of Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival addresses current sociopolitical trends in Central and Eastern Europe, offering New York audiences a unique opportunity to witness the region’s theatrical zeitgeist.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.