Vaclav Havel (1936-2011) was a playwright, political dissident, and the former president of
Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. He became well-known as a dramatist in the 1960s
when his plays The Garden Party and The Memorandum were seen on world theatre stages. In
the 1970s, he was one of the authors of Charter 77 Ð a manifesto calling for the Czechoslovak
government to adhere to the human rights provisions of the Helsinki Agreement. In 1989, he
became the leader of the two-month long Velvet Revolution, which culminated in his ascension
to the Presidency of the re-established democratic Czechoslovakia. Each year, the Library Foundation together with the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague seeks undergraduate play submissions based on a theme drawn from a play by Vaclav Havel.
A two-week residency in Prague with classes at different DAMU departments; visits to Prague
theatres; stage reading of the winning play prepared by DAMU and Vaclav Havel Library in
Prague; a round-trip air ticket to Prague and accommodation. The schedule at DAMU will be
prepared individually according to the winner’s study focus and interests. Date: November 2019
(around November 17th, the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution).
DAMU is a modern, university-level school of the performing arts. It offers artistic personalities
who have a broad cultural perspective and intense desire for profound learning the opportunity to
integrate theatrical knowledge and skill with artistic experiment. DAMU is a highly selective
school, providing professional education in all branches of theatre creation: acting, directing,
dramaturgy, scenography, theory and criticism, theatre management, authorial creation, and
drama in education in the fields of regular and alternative theatre, performance studies and
puppetry.
Eligibility: First-year Undergraduate (Freshman), Second-year Undergraduate (Sophomore),
Third-year Undergraduate (Junior),
Fourth-year Undergraduate (Senior),
Alum (undergraduate),
Graduate Student,
Alum (Graduate)
Minimum GPA:
Deadline month: May
Program Website