Newly discovered Václav Havel play to have world premiere in New York

A newly discovered play by Václav Havel will be presented in New York on September 26, ahead of what would have been the former Czech president and playwright’s 90th birthday. The one-act work, “Warning”, features two characters, Ferdinand Vaněk and a secret police officer named Šeřík. The manuscript was recently found among the papers of writer and Charter 77 signatory Zdeněk Urbánek.

Part of the play was presented at a theatre festival in Avignon, France, in July. The Czech premiere, directed and adapted by Jiří Havelka, is scheduled for October 23 at Prague’s Dejvice Theatre.

In New York, American writer Adam Gopnik will present the play as a staged reading at the 92nd Street Y cultural centre in Manhattan. It was translated into English by Paul Wilson, a former member of the Czech underground band The Plastic People of the Universe. The reading will be followed by a discussion.