Jaroslav Hašek’s (1883 – 1923) famous novel “The Good Soldier Schweik” is a classic of world literature and has been translated into 58 languages. When the young German stage director Erwin Piscator (1893 – 1966), founder of political and epic theater, was looking for a play dealing with the gruesome reality of war and couldn’t find one that satisfied his demands, he decided to adapt Hašek’s novel for the stage. A whole collective of writers worked on this adaptation, including Bertolt Brecht, Max Brod, Felix Gasbarra, Leo Lania, and Hans Reiman. The play premiered in 1928 at the Piscatorbühne in Berlin to enormous critical acclaim.
For Erwin Piscator, adapting Hašek's novel for the stage and directing the play was his way of processing his traumatic experiences in the trenches on the Western front during World War I and depicting the absurdity of war in the theatre.
The seeming incompetence of Schweik, the comic absurdity of many situations described in the novel and the play, lay bare the senselessness of war and offer a satirical way to cope with the futility of life.

Directed by Jeannie Im and Gregorij H. von Leïtis
With: Danny Ashkenasi, Aidan Cummins, Jeannie Im, Stefan Pallotta, Michael Protacio, Bruce Rameker, and Dan Franklin Smith

Presented in cooperation with the Czech Consulate General and the Czech Center New York.

Date and Time: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 7.00 pm

Location: Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street, New York, NY 10021

Please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-good-soldier-schweik-tickets-1984384119319?aff=oddtdtcreator