A story of two people that found themselves in the same places and lived through similar tragedies, and still had never get to know each other. Their life paths intertwined but never converged - both survived the Theresianstadt and Auschwitz concentration camps, death march but also post-war injustice.

Focusing on two unordinary destinies in the midst of a Nazi hell, the show is composed of authentic testimonies of two completely different people - athlete Miloš Dobrý and actress Hana Pravdová.

They have in common much more apart from surviving the holocaust...

Miloš Dobrý died on November 23, 2012. Hana Pravdová died on May 22, 2008.

Get ready for an untraditional experience intensified by the intimate space of the Studio, the show's specific stage.

Kindly note that actors smoke on stage during the show. 

CHARACTERS AND CAST
MILOŠ DOBRÝ: Miroslav Hruška
HANA MARIE PRAVDA: Zuzana Zlatohlávková/Marta Dancingerová

PRODUCTION TEAM
Compiled from authentic testimonies and according to the book Short Stories from a Long Life by:
Tomáš Hrbek, Lucie Kolouchová, Daniel Hrbek
STAGE DESIGN AND COSTUMES: Daniel Hrbek
DRAMATURGY: Lucie Kolouchová
PRODUCTION: Jana Bergerová
STAGE MANAGER: Blanka Popková
ASSISTANT TO DIRECTOR: Julek Neumann

At the beginning of 2013, Švanda Theatre embarked on a tour with the English version of the play ŠOA, which was presented in its English adaptation under the title The Good and the True. From January 22 to February 6, 2013, the theatre performed a total of seventeen shows in the United Kingdom (mainly in London and Leeds) and one in Brussels.

The English version was directed and co-authored by Daniel Hrbek, who rehearsed with actors Isobel Pravda (the granddaughter of Hana Pravdová) and Saul Reichlin, alternately in London and Prague.

Švanda Theatre was selected as the sole representative of Czech drama at the prestigious APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) conference, which took place from January 10 to 14, 2014, in New York. APAP is one of the most important events on the global cultural industry map and serves as an exceptional platform for over 3,500 professionals from the fields of cultural event organizers, artists, and artistic managers from around the world to meet.

As a result of a performance showcase at the Czech National Building in New York during APAP 2014, Švanda Theatre was invited by the prestigious New York stage DR 2 to a two-month residency, during which 56 performances took place.

In 2015, the production, in both its Czech and English versions, was once again presented in New York. Both plays were successfully performed at the historic Bohemian National Hall on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a cultural hub for the Czech community in New York.

In June 2025, Švanda Theatre plans to bring ŠOA to Israel. In collaboration with the Czech Centre, the play will be staged at the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem and the Malenky Theatre in Tel Aviv.