About the play

It’s 1945 in Prague after the German defeat. A short period of liberation-euphoria is followed by a turbulent time of revenge and retribution. Nazis and traitors are prosecuted, and public executions happen daily. Sharing one prison cell are five women accused of Nazi collaboration. None of them knows how long they will be there, or if any will live to see the outside world again. Each has to testify knowing the gallows are waiting. The play is a gut-wrenching human story that raises profound questions of guilt, revenge, betrayal and survival.

Practical

The live, in-person performance opens Thursday, October 28, 2021 and runs through Sunday, November 21, 2021. It features Sara Barker as Hana, Lisa Hodsoll as Julča, Aniko Olah as Nova, Karin Rosnizeck as Adina, and Stacy Whittle as Lída. Co-directors: Melissa Robinson and Karin Rosnizeck. Assistant Director: Kate Foster. Set and projections by Johnny Dahm Robertson, lighting design by Marianne Meadows, and costumes by Brandee Matthies.
Pankrác ’45 will be presented at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC.

There will be a talkback discussion following the Sunday, October 31 matinee featuring Ambassador Cynthia Schneider, co-director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, and Christina Riley, resident fellow in the Center for Humanities Research at George Mason University. There will be also a talkback discussion after the performance on Thursday, November 11 with Czech Embassy Cultural Director Lukas Pribyl and John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of Aftershock: A Journey into Eastern Europe’s Broken Dreams. That performance also is Czech Night at the theatre.

About ExPats Theatre

Founded in 2019 by Karin Rosnizeck, ExPats Theatre produces challenging plays by international playwrights that (1) reexamine historical narratives through feminist perspectives, (2) illuminate contemporary global socio-political issues, and (3) explore the human condition across cultures. By choosing work that encourages critical reflection, ExPats Theatre curates a platform for D.C. audience members to participate in an open exchange of dialogue and embrace diverse worldviews. We welcome diversity in all its forms and work with people from a variety of backgrounds based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by U.S. law. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity organization that is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.

For more information please visit: https://expatstheatre.com/?fbclid=IwAR2TRCRvM2k4vsXkOC95vCgC41iPdhp7-uGCjQwsRZ3cixDnQORtmR4NnJY