Friday, Oct. 4, marks the 60th birthday of Czech playwright and President, Vaclav Havel. To commemorate the occasion, New York's Public Theatre will offer a special performance of Havel's play, The Audience.

Following the production, festivities move to Czech Center on Madison Avenue, where the photographic exhibit, "Vaclav Havel: Dissident - President" will be on view. The evening concludes with a three-hour street birthday party, complete with live jazz and folk music. Guests can sign a giant birthday card to be sent to the President of the Czech Republic, who will not be in attendance.

Vaclav Havel's plays include Audience (1975), Temptation (1985), and Redevelopment (1990). After Havel's imprisonment in 1987 for his involvement in the Committee for the Defence of the Unjustly Prosecuted (VONS), the Czech communist government came down, and he was installed as President. During the time of Havel's incarceration, Samuel Beckett dedicated his own play, Catastrophe, to the dissident dramatist.

For tickets and information regarding Audience, call (212)288 0830.

-- By David Lefkowitz