The Memo

What happens when an organisation imposes a bizarre new language to improve efficiency? Absolute chaos! Václav Havel’s The Memo is a fast-paced satire that skewers bureaucracy, corporate absurdity, and the illusion of progress. When Gross, a well-meaning manager, receives a memo written entirely in Ptydepe—a newly invented corporate language—he quickly realizes he can’t understand a word. To get a translation, he must navigate a maddening maze of paperwork, procedures, and power struggles.

Havel, a former political dissident, crafted The Memo as both a sharp office satire and a critique of how language can be weaponized to control, confuse, and exclude. The result? A brilliantly absurd play as relevant today as when it was written. Expect big laughs, biting dialogue, and an unforgettable cast—including a secretary with nothing to do, language experts defending the indefensible, and a boss losing his grip on reality.

For those who have sat through pointless meetings, puzzled over corporate jargon, or questioned workplace logic, The Memo will hit home. A performance filled with wit, chaos, and one man’s desperate quest to make sense of it all.