Night of Theaters

The 14th edition of the Night of Theaters will be held in the spirit of Havel's theme Truth, Absurdity, Courage.

On Saturday, March 28, 2026, the fourteenth edition of the Night of Theaters will take place across the Czech Republic. This largest theater celebration offers tours, theater workshops, discussions with creators, performances, and more each year. It features a unique program that audiences will not experience for the rest of the season, and it is offered for free or for a symbolic admission fee. This year's Night of Theaters carries the subtitle Truth, Absurdity, Courage, and joins the celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the birth of one of the most significant figures in our history – playwright, essayist, politician, and statesman Václav Havel. Like every year, this year's theme offers a wide range of interpretations. "The subtitle of the 14th edition began to take shape as a reminder of the anniversary of Václav Havel's birth, so that we gradually realize the incredible relevance of his thoughts and themes. We live in a time when truth often gets lost in a jumble of half-truths, lies, and banalities, absurdity becomes a common part of public space, and courage – to be heard, to doubt, and to ask questions – may be more important than ever. Theater has a unique position in such a world: it can name these phenomena with both lightness and seriousness, poetically and politically, and offer space for reflection or even dialogue. The Night of Theaters is thus not only a celebration of art but also an invitation to share, playfulness, and civic courage in everyday life," summarizes the possibilities and scope of this year's theme Michal Lázňovský, head of the export office of Czech performing arts PerformCzech at the National Institute for Culture. Registrations are now open for theaters, troupes, and cultural institutions that wish to participate in the event and prepare special programs. Visitors can look forward to the Theater from the Courtyard, which will present the farce in three acts Our Aunt Delegate at the Slovak Institute in Prague. They can also watch a monodrama performed by Marie Štípková, presenting a gripping confession of a woman searching for justice in the judicial system PRIMA FACIE / At First Glance at the Švandovo Theater. The Vršovice Theater MANA has prepared Vaňkování in MANA – a series of staged readings featuring the character Ferdinand Vaněk and short plays by Czech authors of the 20th century. The Brno-based Mikro-teatro has included in its program a monodrama on the edge of real testimony and mystification, inspired by the life of Catalina de Erauso – La Pícara. The Night of Open Theaters and Exceptional Experiences presents theater in a creative way in an unconventional form. The date of the Night of Theaters is linked to the International Theater Day (March 27) and always falls on the Saturday closest to this theatrical holiday. The National Institute for Culture has been coordinating the Night of Theaters in the Czech Republic since 2013. The Night of Theaters is visited annually by several tens of thousands of visitors and involves around 80 troupes and theaters from approximately 30 cities. It is thus an event with extraordinary potential on many levels – regional connections, representation of different genre approaches, presentation of cultural activities and theater institutions, or the connection between the creative and audience worlds. The Night of Theaters is simply a theatrical event that welcomes everyone.