PERFORMANCE DETAIL

Stage director by Josef Doležal
Czech translation by Viktor Janiš

Two men. One room. And something that is not easy to say out loud. David Ireland’s The Fifth Step is an intimate yet explosive encounter between an experienced sponsor and a newcomer in Alcoholics Anonymous. James is helping Luka through the fifth step — admitting the exact nature of his wrongs. Honestly. Without excuses. But the more they talk, the clearer it becomes that confession can also be a form of combat. Who holds the upper hand? The one who has been sober longer? The one who has sinned more? Or the one who knows how to manipulate better?

David Ireland delivers dialogue as sharp as a blade — brutally funny at times, unsettlingly precise at others. Laughter comes quickly here, and disappears just as fast. Beneath it lies manipulation, faith, doubt, and male ego. A tightly focused acting duel in which every word can be an act of help — or a weapon. A meeting that was meant to bring cleansing, but may end by revealing something else entirely.

Premiere on 22 May 2027 at the Theatre “12”