The staged reading is in English.

More about the Adaptation:
In Der Bau (The Burrow), a nameless burrowing creature obsesses over erecting a perfectly secure system of defense against unseen enemies above and below. In the embrace of his underground fortress, however, the creature’s overactive imagination takes hold and the threat grows to an unbearable pitch. Kafka wrote Der Bau in Berlin during the winter of 1923-1924, just 6 months before he died. It was his second to last story.

Written by Franz Kafka, Adapted and Performed by Drew Valins, and Directed by Michaela Lind.

Presented by the Czech Embassy in collaboration with ARA Theater and Media and the Alliance for New Music Theatre.

Note from the performer: I have been on a journey to penetrate the depths of Der Bau for years. With this adaptation I want to bring to the stage the urgency and immediacy of this animal narrator’s experience in all his insecurity, anxiety, paranoia, and obsessive self-observation. I feel that Kafka’s animal protagonists are his most human. The urge to protect ourselves is at the core of the human animal. I want audiences to feel what Kafka seems to have felt: that we are all living within our own insecure burrows. ~ Drew Valins

“And this growing-louder is a coming-nearer; still more distinctly than you hear the increasing loudness of the noise, you can literally see the step that brings it closer to you.” ~ From Der Bau

Biography:
Drew Valins is an actor, playwright, solo performer, and co-founder of the theater and media company ARA. He has appeared on CBS’s BULL and is a 15-year member of the troupe Shakespeare in the Parking Lot & Bryant Park, where he has performed in many of the great roles, including Puck, Iago, Autolycus, and Don Pedro.  His solo work has toured internationally and has had an audience of dignitaries such as Madeline Albright. With the Alliance for New Music Theatre, in Washington, DC, Drew has played Vaclav Havel’s alter ego, Vanek, in PROTEST, UNVEILING, and the original musical VANEK UNLEASHED, written and directed by Susan Galbraith. Drew’s solo work, called FRANZ FRAGMENTS, is a sprawling endeavor which theatrically probes various works of Franz Kafka, and has appeared on numerous stages and alternative spaces. Highlights of this include A REPORT TO AN ACADEMY (performed at the Czech Embassy, DC) and FRANZ/DREW (nominated for best actor and playwright in the Midtown International Theater Festival, NYC). Drew’s full-length play LAKEPLAY will have its world premiere in October at the Wild Project in the East Village, and he will star in the film WHERE IS NOW, an absurd take on climate change written and directed by Michaela Lind. Drew lives in Brooklyn with his wife and four fish, all of whom are named Paul. For more information visit www.drewvalins.com and @drew.valins (instagram).

Event Details:

Date/Time: June 11, 2024, at 6:30 pm

Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic
3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008

RSVP required: https://ValinsBurrow.eventbrite.com

Embassy Policy: The Embassy of the Czech Republic disclaims and excludes any and all liability for any loss, injury, or damage, alleged to have been suffered by or as a result of or otherwise on its premises. No large bags are allowed. Small purses may be checked as you pass through security for entrance. RSVP confirmation and photo ID required.