Business as Usual by Mehis Pihla read in New York

On May 4th, 2025, the play Business as Usual by the Estonian playwright Mehis Pihla, was read in New York as part of the Rehearsal for Truth international theatre festival. The staged reading took place at the Bohemian National Hall, a centre for Czech and Slovak culture.

Mehis Pihla, the author of Business as Usual, commented: “The impressions are positive, the play was well received. It was the biggest reading that has been done here so far – 11 actors and two and a half hours is a very rare thing for a reading. The topic was very evocative for the locals as they see the growing power of dubious Russian money in America. Criticism of banking in the world’s financial capital is perhaps even sharper than in Estonia.”

Rehearsal for Truth, a festival dedicated to Václav Havel, introduces New York audiences to contemporary European theatre. This year’s programme included Once Upon a Time There was a Rooster by Ukrainian writer Anna Halas and Blood Brothers by Lithuanian playwright Gabrielė Labanauskaite.

The reading was directed by Alexander Harrington, who has worked with a number of New York theatres, including the Metropolitan Playhouse, La MaMa, The Culture Project, Queens Theatre and The Actors Studio.

Mehis Pihla’s Business as Usual recently received the Estonian national theatre award for the best original dramaturgy and was staged by the Estonian Drama Theatre in 2024. Business as Usual was translated to English by Adam Cullen.

Business as Usual was presented at the Rehearsal for Truth festival in collaboration with the Estonian Theatre Agency.

In the photo: Mehis Pihla and Alexander Harrington. Photo by Steve Prue