Dating back to 2017, the Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival focuses on Central and Eastern European theater. This year marked the second time Estonia has been represented.

While the piece needed to be adapted somewhat for American audiences, "Business as Usual" was well received in New York.

"I did do some trimming of the play so it ran a little shorter; I did do some cutting down of the number of characters," explained American director Alexander Harrington.

"And then I worked with Mehis to change references that an American audience would not get to references that they would get," he continued. "I think the material would certainly work in the United States; there's a long tradition of dark humor in the United States. And I think it could be quite successful here."

"It was quite witty," confirmed director Hendrik Toompere Jr. "They really had fun and enjoyed it. I thought it was a pretty great group. They kept up the pace and energy too, because this story is actually fairly long. But it seemed to me like the audience listened attentively."

"'Business as Usual' was just read in New York, but the play is actually attracting attention elsewhere too," highlighted Pihla, the author behind the original work. "For example, 'Business as Usual' will be published in French this summer, and it should be coming out in Latvian as well. So it's actually really great that it's already gaining international distribution."

The Estonian Drama Theater and Denmark's coproduction of "Business as Usual," under the Estonian title "Rahamaa," first debuted last year as part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 program.

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