By Rachel Morse, Staff Writer
A Stage II performance will take a different approach to an infamous historical event.
Lebensraum, a German word meaning “living space,” is a play, which emphasizes the themes of the Holocaust without being a show about the Holocaust, said Josh Henry, student director of the production.
The show will open at 8 p.m. tomorrow night in the Black Box Theater in Wanda L. Bass Music Center, with additional performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“It takes place in modern day Germany where efforts are being made to make up for the Holocaust—an attempt to reestablish Jews in Germany,” he said.
To make room for the six million immigrants, German workers are laid off and replaced with Jews, Henry said.
“A kind of anti-Semitism begins to rise again,” he said.
The theme of remembrance is continually emphasized throughout the show, as many Jews return for revenge and hate, Henry said. One character, a concentration camp survivor, arrives in Germany with the sole purpose of avenging those who had once abused him.
“At the end of the play you realize that having that much hate is not okay,” he said. “You have to learn to forgive but to never forget what happened.”
The production is a complicated play for the three actors involved, Henry said. Each cast member will play about 15 separate characters, with accents varying from German to Australian.
“It’s a gauntlet for the three actors,” he said.
The performers are Kevin Keeling, acting senior, Kallen Pitts, acting junior, and Kelsey Griswold, acting sophomore, Henry said. Jacob Ockwood, acting senior, is assistant directing the show with Henry.
Rehearsals have focused on distinguishing between the characters, balancing out the show on the runway-style stage and working through the play’s small amount of combat, Henry said.
“The actors are doing a tremendous amount of work,” he said. “Really, it’s my job just to guide them and make sure they are safe.”
Griswold said the story they are trying to convey is a heart-wrenching one.
“People need to know that it is not an easy show to sit through, but in a good way,” she said. “It takes you through a roller-coaster of emotions.”
As the show that made him decide to be an actor, Henry said he looks forward to bringing this lesser-known play to the stage.
“I am really happy to share it with everyone,” he said. “It’s a great message and a great story.”
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