2024 was marked by many significant events, inaugural lectures, and talks within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS) at Trinity College Dublin. One of the key events at the end of the year was Havel/Beckett: Theatres of Conscience, a Czech-Irish evening of theatre, music, poetry and discussion. This was held at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, School of Creative Arts, on 21 October 2024. Marking 35 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the programme reflected on the importance of freedom of expression and the power of theatre in addressing injustice and advocating for change.
The Department of Drama was honoured to collaborate with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ireland, with colleagues both within and beyond the department, and with many current and visiting students to bring these potent plays into lively dialogue with one another.
A welcome address was given by H.E. Pavel VošalIk, Ambassador of the Czech Republic and Dr Jana Fischerova of Trinity College Dublin introduced the evening by exploring the connection between Samuel Beckett and Václav Havel. Although the two playwrights never met due to Cold War restrictions, they shared a mutual respect that led them to dedicate plays to each other. The evening featured performances of Beckett’s Catastrophe (1982), written for Havel, and Havel’s Mistake (1983), written in response.
Both Beckett and Havel faced significant censorship in their home countries. In Ireland, strict laws aimed at preserving a narrow vision of national identity often targeted the nation’s leading writers. In communist Czechoslovakia, censorship silenced voices that challenged the regime, with thousands of books banned over four decades. Beckett repeatedly clashed with Irish authorities, while Havel’s defiance led to imprisonment for his advocacy of free expression and human rights. The evening served as a powerful reminder of their enduring legacies and the role of art in challenging oppression.
The dual staging of plays, co-directed by Nicholas Johnson and Mauricio Quevedo, was enriched by musical performances from Josef Janíček, Katerina García, Jonny Tennant, and Aleš Bajgart. The music complemented the evening’s tribute to Václav Havel and Samuel Beckett, whose works offer profound insights into the human condition. The event brought together history, politics, and art while highlighting the cultural ties between the Czech Republic and Ireland.
The latter half of the programme included a reading of Seamus Heaney’s 2003 speech, originally delivered in Dublin when Václav Havel was honoured with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience award. The evening concluded with Bill Shipsey, a human rights activist, receiving the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs medal.
A PDF of the brochure for this event is available here: Havel Beckett Programme 2024 (PDF 6.0 MB).
Further details are also available on the website of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ireland.
For further information on the event please email Dr Jana van der Ziel Fischerova.
For further information on the musical performance please email Dr Katerina Garcia.
Photos of the event:
Performance of Mistake by Václav Havel:
Performance of Catastrophe by Samuel Beckett:
Musical ensemble performance:
Left to Right: Aleš Bajgart (bass), Josef Janíček (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Katerina García (vocals, shruti box, additional percussion), Jonathan Tennant (vocals, bouzouki).
Bill Shipsey and Dr Jana Fischerova:
All Photos by Jiří Beneš.