Washington Festival to Celebrate Work of Landmark Author | Playbill

News Washington Festival to Celebrate Work of Landmark Author Washington, D.C.'s sixth annual Mutual Inspirations Festival will celebrate Czech author and playwright Karel Čapek, whose works received several Broadway productions. He is well-known for his play Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.), which was groundbreaking in its introduction of the notion of robots when it played the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1942.

Presented by the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the festival will run Sept. 3-Nov. 21 and feature a series of events in honor of the artist, including theatrical performances, film screenings, a concert, lectures and exhibitions. Highlights will include a new musical adaptation of R.U.R presented by the Alliance for New-Music Theatre.

Čapek was nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature seven times and had his writing translated into over 50 languages. He received the most recognition for his science-fiction works, such as R.U.R and The Insect Comedy, which was staged on Broadway in 1948 — marking his fifth of six Broadway productions.

Multi-Tony-winning playwright Arthur Miller said of Čapek: "There was no writer like him…prophetic assurance mixed with surrealistic humor and hard-edged social satire: a unique combination."

Festival highlights will include a jazz-age evening; theatrical readings of the newly-developed R.U.R.: A Retro-Futuristic Musical; the world premiere of Čapek's War with the Newts, adapted by Natsu Onoda Power; a robotics demonstration and lecture with Czech robotics expert Vladimir Mařík; a panel discussion on R.U.R. and the Rationalized World; and a Lego Robotics Workshop for children.

Now in its sixth year, the Mutual Inspirations Festival focuses on the meeting of Czech and American cultures through the celebration of world-renowned artists. In past years the event has attracted over 30,000 people.

The festival will take place at several venues in the Washington area, such as the Kennedy Center, the Gonda Theatre in the Davis Performing Arts Center at Georgetown University, the Avalon Theatre and Bistro Bohem.

For more information visit MutualInspirations.com.

 
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