Holocaust-themed story to transpire into Black Box Theatre production
Rachel Taylor
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment
When director John F. Daniel browsed through a book store and came across Kindertransport, he knew that he wanted to bring the story to life through theater.
Daniel pitched the idea to several theaters but had no luck as the play is set during the Holocaust. Because the Holocaust is associated with controversy and tragedy, no one jumped at the idea. Amongst the tragedy, however, there are heartfelt stories to be told.
"It doesn't take place at the concentration camps at all. There is nothing graphic. The story is very touching," said Daniel.
Kindertransport, written by Diane Samuels, is set in Manchester, England in the 1980's and tells the story of a British woman struggling with her Jewish past.
In the story, Jews were taken out of Nazi Germany to Great Britain by a train known as the Kindertransport.
Lisa Daye plays Eveyln, one of the Jews aboard the Kindertransport.
"[Evelyn is] a repressed English lady who used to be a young German girl, sent away from Nazi Germany," said Daye.
Evelyn's daughter, Faith (Audra Caitlyn Moss), spent her whole life thinking her mother was adopted. Before moving out on her own, Faith comes across old photographs and letters in her mother's attic. As she begins piecing the puzzle together, she realizes that she does not know anything about her mother's past.
Faith confronts her mother and as Evelyn begins to tell her story, the audience is shown flashbacks to when Evelyn was young and known as Eva (Alana Butterfield).
"There are some parts when one of them [Eva or Evelyn] will turn to the other and talk as if they are bridging the gap," said director John F. Daniel. "It's very interesting the way it mixes two scenes together."
Overall, Kindertransport is a humanistic story between a mother and daughter.
"It's really interesting trying to build a relationship that seems like a plausible mother/daughter relationship and then having that all ripped away and changed [in Samuel's writing]," said Moss.
Kindertransport is planned to show March 12 through March 21 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre.
Daniel pitched the idea to several theaters but had no luck as the play is set during the Holocaust. Because the Holocaust is associated with controversy and tragedy, no one jumped at the idea. Amongst the tragedy, however, there are heartfelt stories to be told.
"It doesn't take place at the concentration camps at all. There is nothing graphic. The story is very touching," said Daniel.
Kindertransport, written by Diane Samuels, is set in Manchester, England in the 1980's and tells the story of a British woman struggling with her Jewish past.
In the story, Jews were taken out of Nazi Germany to Great Britain by a train known as the Kindertransport.
Lisa Daye plays Eveyln, one of the Jews aboard the Kindertransport.
"[Evelyn is] a repressed English lady who used to be a young German girl, sent away from Nazi Germany," said Daye.
Evelyn's daughter, Faith (Audra Caitlyn Moss), spent her whole life thinking her mother was adopted. Before moving out on her own, Faith comes across old photographs and letters in her mother's attic. As she begins piecing the puzzle together, she realizes that she does not know anything about her mother's past.
Faith confronts her mother and as Evelyn begins to tell her story, the audience is shown flashbacks to when Evelyn was young and known as Eva (Alana Butterfield).
"There are some parts when one of them [Eva or Evelyn] will turn to the other and talk as if they are bridging the gap," said director John F. Daniel. "It's very interesting the way it mixes two scenes together."
Overall, Kindertransport is a humanistic story between a mother and daughter.
"It's really interesting trying to build a relationship that seems like a plausible mother/daughter relationship and then having that all ripped away and changed [in Samuel's writing]," said Moss.
Kindertransport is planned to show March 12 through March 21 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre.
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