The Conspirators
Translated by Carol Rocamora and Tomas Rychetsky
Directed by Kay Matschullat
The English language premiere
Monday, November 13
At the Ohio
Starring Kathleen Turner, Reno, and others
Performance: Monday, November 13, 7:00 p.m.
In a fictional country, the dictator Olah has been overthrown to finally institute a democracy. However, the Prime Minister’s advisors have become concerned that the Prime Minister won’t be strong enough to resist if Olah returns. So they form a fake conspiracy to overthrow the government, hoping that a stronger military, more censorship, and the torture of a political prisoner will help preserve their democratic ideals.
Production history
This play was the first Havel wrote after his work was banned, and it took him five years to complete. It was handed off in a bathroom and smuggled from the country, eventually to be performed at Theater der Stadt in Baden-Baden, Germany.