Dartmouth Events

The World War II Jewish ghetto at Terezín (in German, Theresienstadt) was a site of great suffering and deprivation. It was also, for specific historical reasons, a site of enormous artistic energy. Music, the visual arts and theatrical performance thrived in the ghetto, but scholars believed that most traces of the prisoners' theatrical activities had been lost—until recently. During my interviews with survivors of the ghetto in 2004-2008, several previously unknown scripts came to light—scripts ranging from cabarets and musical revues to historical and verse dramas. In this lecture, using excerpts from several of the scripts, I explore the incredibly diverse ways in which the prisoners represented their own experience of the ghetto to themselves.

This lecture is sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program and the Theater Department.