Kafka: The Trial
Experience the story of Josef K.
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- September
- October
Basic information
The Estates Theatre
Approximate running time1 hour 25 minutes, no intermission
PremiereJune 13, 2019
The Italian choreographer and designer Mauro Bigonzetti’s Kafka: The Trial brings to the stage the dark world tormenting Josef K.
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About
The ballet treats Franz Kafka’s feted novel, revealing the absurdity and cruelty of the bureaucratic apparatus the protagonist grapples with to no avail. Bigonzetti masterfully combines dance, music and imaginative scenery, created by Carlo Cerri. Owing to its black-and-white visual concept and video projections, the production evokes the film noir aesthetics, thus paying tribute to Orson Welles’s seminal cinematic adaptation.
Bigonzetti is well-known to Prague audiences, who have had the opportunity to see his abstract piece Vertigo (2016) and the feature-length narrative ballet Sheherazade (2025).
Kafka: The Trial unwinds to music by Antonio Maria Bononcini, Dietrich Buxtehude, Henryk Górecki, Claudio Monteverdi and other composers, adroitly underlying the hero’s overwhelming loneliness, anxiety and desperation.
The work was first performed in 2015 at the Staatstheater in Hanover. The Czech premiere took place in June 2019.
“Even though more than a century has passed since Kafka completed his novel, the production remains topical and continues to resonate with contemporary society in Europe and elsewhere alike,” adds Filip Barankiewicz, Artistic Director of the Czech National Ballet.
In the autumn of 2026, Bigonzetti’s Kafka: The Trial will return to the Estates Theatre. It will be accompanied by special ND+ events. The performances will be preceded by In Franz Kafka’s Footsteps guided tours of Prague, taking the participants to places connected with the celebrated writer’s life.
The hats for the Czech National Ballet production Kafka: Proces were donated by TONAK, a. s., the traditional hat maker for 220 years.
The Czech National Ballet soloists and corps de ballet
Photo of the visual image: Anna Rasmussen
Photographers for production: Martin Divíšek, Pavel Hejný
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Kafka: The Trial
Practical information
Where to buy tickets
When purchasing online, you can get an e-ticket. You can pick up printed tickets in person at the box offices of the National Theatre.
The National Theatre sells tickets up to 6 months in advance - currently for February–July 2026.
Sales always start on the 1st day of the month at 9am, except in January when pre-sales do not start until the 2nd day due to a public holiday.
What to wear?
By their appearance, attire and behaviour, the audience is obliged to adhere to the accustomed practice expected from them when attending a theatre performance.
Parking at the Estates Theatre
Unfortunately, there is no parking near The Estates Theater. You can use the guarded parking lot in the Kotva shopping center (Revoluční 1/655, Prague 1) and Paladium (Na Poříčí 1079 / 3a, Prague 1).
Buffets at the Estates Theater
No waiting. For your benefit, please pre-order your food and beverages at the bar to minimize waiting in the queue!
Detailed information at divadelnicatering.cz/en.