Taking the Dead Away
by Karel Sattler
November 1932 - May 1944

--------Charmaine Spencer

Fireflies Study Guide 

Books

I am a Star: Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher

In this book (4th grade and up), Holocaust survivor Inge Auerbacher shares her experiences in Terezin. Aurbacher was sent to Terezin when she was seven years old, and was liberated, together with her parents, three years later. A clip about Inge's doll and her story can be found at http://www.visualed.com/olympicdoll.htm

Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine

This children's book (4th grade and up) tells the story of Hana "Hanička" Bradová, a girl who arrived in Terezin at age 11, and about the Japanese woman who brought her story to life. In 2000, Fumiko Ishioka, the coordinator of the Tokyo Holocaust Center, requested children's items from other Holocaust museums around the world to create an exhibit. One of the items she received from Auschwitz was an empty suitcase with the name Hanna Brady printed on it. To satisfy her curiosity and the curiosity of the children visiting the museum, she investigated more about Hanna Brady and found Hanna's brother. Hanna was one of the art students at Terezin.

A question to consider: If you only had a small suitcase to pack your most precious possessions while fleeing from your house, what would you pack?

I Never Saw Another Butterfly by Hana Volavkova: Poems and pictures drawn by children of Terezin showing scenes of daily life in the concentration camp, memories from their pre-war life, and dreams and hopes for the future. 

Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin. -- A children’s book (4^th grade and up) about artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, who used her allotted 50 lbs of luggage to pack art supplies and gave the children in Terezin an escape from the horrors of their daily life through art therapy.

The Cat With the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin and Ela Weissberger

A children’s book (4^th grade and up)—a biography of Holocaust-survivor Ela Weissberger, in collaboration with author Susan Goldman Rubin.  Ela arrived in Terezin at age 11 and played The Cat in the children’s opera Brundibár.  Goldman met Ela at a production of Brundibár while researching for her book Fireflies in the Dark.

Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, Vienna 1898- Auschwitz 1944 by Elena Makarova

A study of the life and art of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis containing over 400 color plates of art, letters and photographs.

Brundibár by Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak (illustrator)

A picture book (in fairytale form) retelling the story of a fatherless boy (Pepíček—Little Joe) and girl (Aninka—Annette) who go in search of milk for their sick mother.  They sing looking for donations but organ-grinder Brundibár (representing Hitler) gets all the attention and scares them away.  A cat, a dog, and a sparrow come to their rescue and suggest that there is strength in numbers. As children from the town join them, they get the interest from the crowd and their coins. 

Other Books about Terezin:

Theresienstadt: Hitler's Gift to the Jews by Norbert Troller

Nesarim: Child Survivors of Terezin by Thelma Gruenbaum

We Are Children Just the Same: Vedem, the Secret Magazine by the Boys of Terezin by Kurt Jiri Kotouc

In Memory's Kitchen: A Legacy from the Women of Terezin (cookbook) by Cara De Silva

Music and Video

http://www.ingeauerbacher.com/default.htm

Inge Auerbacher's website.

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/47914

An article written by the International Service of Czech Radio featuring the book Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine.

http://www.hanassuitcase.ca/

This website contains pictures and information about Terezin art student Hanna Brady and her family and about Terezin

Terezin: Resistance & Revival tells the story of the people in Terezin—the musicians, composers, artists and theater professionals who, through their creative outlets, left a memory of their experiences during the Holocaust.  See http://inquirer.philly.com/specials/2005/terezin/

Hans Krása: Brundibár CD

Czech-Jewish composer Hans Krása, born in Prague in 1899 and murdered in Auschwitz in 1944, created the children's opera Brundibár (Czech for "bumblebee").  The opera was performed by the children 55 times, with new children joining as performers were sent to Auschwitz.  Representatives of the Red Cross inspecting the living conditions in Terezin were treated to a special performance of Brundibár in 1944 as they toured areas of the concentration camp that were staged and beautified for this purpose.  There are versions of this opera in English—a translation by Tony Kushner.

Websites

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/terezintoc.html

This website from the Jewish Virtual Library, an online Jewish encyclopedia, contains information about Terezin’s history, photographs, and visitor information. 

http://www.makarovainit.com/

Elena Makarova, an Israeli Israeli author, art teacher, researcher and exhibition curator, and her research group have collected extensive documentation about the cultural life of Terezin.  Follow the links to find out information about Terezin, Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, etc, and about many of their projects. 

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/CzechRepublic/Theresienstadt/TheresienstadtGhetto/This website contains information, essays and pictures.

http://www.interdisciplinary.neu.edu/terezin/

This website by Northeastern University student Melissa Misicka (class of 2003) has information about Terezin’s history and musical activities.

http://isurvived.org/ -- An extensive resource on the Holocaust. 

http://www.fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/ -- A teachers guide to the Holocaust, including incormation, pictures, clips, etc., including a clip from the propaganda film Hitler Gives the Jews a City:  http://www.fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/GALLFR2/TEREZIN.htm

To protect and comfort the children under her care in Terezin concentration camp,
an heroic art teacher uses art to give the children a way to express the inexpressible, honor their humanity,
cry their unheard despair and reach out to the world. Miraculously their art survived and was found,
allowing these children's voices to finally be heard.

 

6th @ Penn Theatre
3704 6th Avenue (Hillcrest)
San Diego, CA 92103

For Question or Comments Contact Dale Morris at dmorris466@gmail.com

Charlene Baldridge
SDNEWS.com

A glimmer in the dark CRITIC’S?CHOICE Charlene Baldridge August 08, 2007 Sixth@Penn Theatre’s Resilience of the Spirit Human Rights Festival 2007 has reached its 11th of 12 programs. A mixed bag of plays concerning human rights and human resilience, the series, truly a mixed bag — at least the ones I’ve seen — reached its highest point with the world premiere of Chicagoan Charmaine Spencer’s tender and heart-wrenching Holocaust play, “Fireflies,” which continues only through Sunday, Aug. 12. It is not to be missed. The play is set in the Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia in 1943, a time when there were worldwide rumors about the Nazis’ mistreatment of their prisoners. Specifically, the International Red Cross sent a delegation to Terezin, which Hitler touted as his gift to the Jews, a city he had built for the Jews, a model of humane treatment, education and arts training. The community was forced to support this propaganda by presenting the Czech children’s opera “Brundibar” and putting on an art exhibition. The Red Cross went away satisfied, even though thousands were transported to death camps. Five thousand Terezin children’s drawings survive, primarily stored in the Jewish Museum of Prague. Of the 15,000 Jewish children in Terezin, fewer than 150 survived. Among them is Inge Auerbacher, a Terezin prisoner from 1942 to ’45, who has dedicated her life to writing and lecturing about her experience and who spoke following performances last weekend. Spencer’s play centers on two fictional children, Eva (Becca Myers) and Rebecca (Zoe Katz; on Aug. 5, Maddy Bersin), who were given drawing lessons by real-life artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis (1898-1944), who was a student of Paul Klee and Walter Gropius. Beth Bayless gloriously plays this role. An excellent actor, Tony Beville portrays Friedl’s husband, Pavel, and a cruel German officer; and Luis Quiroz plays Leo Katz (1932-1944), who wrote the poem from which the play takes its title. Sixth@Penn’s Dale Morris, who also wrote and directed a previous Human Rights Festival winner, “A Hundred Birds,” stages the work. “Fireflies” continues at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. It alternates with the Human Rights Festival’s final presentation of 2007, “The Sago Mine Disaster.” Tickets and information may be found at www.sexthatpenn.com or www.resilienceofthespirit.com or by calling (619) 688-9210 for reservations (a must). ************************ E Mail I got from Charlene. Very nice!

I have seen "Fireflies" twice, once last Monday and then once again last night when my friend Punit Auerbacher's cousin Inge spoke. Golly, she is amazing. I know you've chatted with her. "Fireflies"is a marvelous work, so touching and terrifying.I weep even as I write this to you. The company is simply marvelous from the raucous little Eva (Becca Myers) to the incredibly dedicated and brave Freidel (Beth Bayless). I hope that you got an opportunity to see it and I wish you much luck with this important work. I have not read any of the recommended books but I am just certain that you captured their essence, and now I hope the play will be seen by adults children everywhere.

Charlene Baldridge, Freelance Writer and member of San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Regularly writes for:Riverside Press- Enterprise, La Jolla Village News, Performances Magazine http://members.cox.net/charb81

San Diego Reader

Fireflies Hitler's Germany billed Theresienstadt as a wondrous haven for Jews: children were educated, sports activities abounded. It was the Nazis' showcase concentration camp, and it was a lie. It had false storefronts and cafes. Food was scarce (an estimated 33,000 Jews died there), and it became the last stop before Auschwitz. Charmaine Spencer's compact drama interweaves pain, denial, and dearly earned hope. It's set in a girls' barracks, where Freidel teaches art as expression and therapy. Told to draw the lies, students draw what they see, some realizing that the persons depicted may no longer be alive. Drawing gives them a momentary stay against overwhelming fear. 6th@Penn's production opens and closes with slides of the drawings: impressive for their quality and harrowing for what they depict (and would be more so if two actors didn't block the view at the end!). The acting is uneven, but Beth Bayless is outstanding as Freidel: patience and quiet strength, and deeper down clashing subtexts-- she knows full well what's going on; should she tell the children, stay mute, fight back? She's so admirable, especially when the chaos sweeps her away. 6th@Penn Theatre, 3704 Sixth Avenue, Hillcrest, through August12; for days and times call 619-688-9210. Rating: Worth a try.

-----Jeff Smith

Survival of the Fittest
Reviewed by Pat Launer - sdtheatre.com

THE SHOW: Programs 10 and 11 of 6th @ Penn Theatre’s Resilience of the Spirit Human Rights Festival proved to be the strongest evenings of the Festival I’ve seen. The plays are powerful and provocative, and the performances uniformly excellent. All deal with the creative ways desperate humans attempt to survive a traumatic event, whether it’s using art, sex or one-way conversations with the dead. There was a little backstage drama in presenting Program 10; one of the scheduled plays was dropped, so in a pinch, director/actor/playwright/novelist/teacher Bil Wright stepped up and quickly (in a day or two) penned a short replacement piece, which he called Leave Me a Message.

The short playlet is a reflection on grief; how long it should last, when it’s time to let go. One year after 9/11, a husband can’t erase his wife’s final phone message, a frantic attempt to connect with him in her final moments. He’s having trouble with a recalcitrant daughter and an overbearing shrink. He only takes comfort in talking into the answering machine, where the last vestige of his wife still ‘resides.’ Under Wright’s direction, Rena Lyon (a newcomer to San Diego) gradually unfolds her mounting terror, and Anthony Hamm does an impressive job as the brokenhearted husband.

Wright directs the evening’s second piece as well, War Zone is My Bed (Blackened Windows) by New Orleans-born Yasmine Berly Rana. This play, which was presented as a concert reading at New York’s La MaMa Experimental Theatre, where it will have a full production in the fall, was published in this summer’s issue of The Drama Review. As an arts therapist, the playwright has worked with traumatized and displaced people in various countries. Her play is set in a “brutally strange place,” an unnamed Middle Eastern land under strict moral law. It’s told as an anguished memory, the recollections of a man who recalls none of the dates and details of his overseas ordeal, only the blackened windows of the boxed-in life of one young widow forced to earn a meager living on her back. He became a ‘regular,’ and in each other’s arms they found a moment of respite, release and humanity – until she finds out that this gentle, tender lover is one of the torturers she so fears. Wright has teased touching, aching, finely shaded performances from Eric Esquer and Leti Carranza. (Now let’s just hope he manages to return again from New York, in order to reprise his stellar performance as Gabe in Fences, which will be mounted as a full production by Cygnet Theatre late fall).

The final piece in Program 10 was The Collection, written by Kansas City-based playwright Frank Higgins, whose earlier work, Miracles, was produced at the Old Globe in 1987. The action takes place inside the world-famous Hermitage Museum in 1943, during the Siege of Leningrad. Two soldiers barge in and find a woman crouching self-protectively in the corner. She hasn’t eaten in days, and she is guarding the last remaining treasures of the museum’s vast art collection. The soldiers, a pugnacious sergeant and a hopelessly virginal private, are also desperate for food (they try to cook and eat a cowhide wallet), and they smash a valuable 18th century chair for firewood. When they try to remove pictures from the wall, she pleads, bribes, wails and finally placates them by giving her tour guide spiel, telling them the details of the paintings, about the artists, the colors, the style. Art succeeds in quelling the savage beast. The private is enthralled, the gruff sergeant softens, thinking of his “stupidly” artistic wife. Quentin Proulx is wonderful as the fiendish sergeant, Harrison Myers strikes just the right notes as the younger soldier, and Kathleen Masse negotiates her life with a steadfast credibility. Kevin Six’s skillful direction mines the fear and the suspense. An exciting and gut-wrenching piece of work all around.

Program 11. The power of art is also the theme of Fireflies, a world premiere by Charmaine Spencer, a Chicago playwright who creates theater works for adults, children and puppets. She was inspired by the true story of Vienna-born artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis (whose name is spelled many different ways in the 6th @ Penn program and press). She was deported to Terezin (in German, Theresienstadt), the Czechoslovakia concentration camp euphemistically called “Hitler’s Gift to the Jews,” because there, the arts were allowed to flourish – but only so they could be paraded in front of unwelcome, inquisitive visitors (such as the International Red Cross), to show how liberal and permissive the Nazis were.

The year is 1944. Dicker-Brandeis uses art to survive, distracting and supporting her young charges in the Girls’ Barracks by encouraging them to “draw what you see.” At one point, her husband, Pavel, drags in a scruffy and belligerent new arrival, young Leo Katz, who vows to fight the system every step of the way. He doesn’t want any part of this artistic acquiescence; he’s not a “sheep” like the rest. But the warm-hearted, endlessly patient Friedl explains that drawing and writing “help us put away the anger and the fear… release them to make way for hope.” So hostile, scrappy Leo learns to accept her protection and follow her artistic advice. Periodically, a nasty German officer tramps in to ruffle their feathers, threaten their lives, and pass out transport orders, which generally means transfer to a death camp like Auschwitz (where Friedl was eventually killed).

How Friedl sees what she sees and knows what she knows, and still maintains her calm in the face of the atrocities is a study in the very best of humanity and the human spirit. The pictures drawn by the hundreds of children she taught in the camp survive; they currently hang in a Prague museum. And onstage, as the youngsters commit to paper some of the ugly daily events they’re forced to witness, the actual, gut-wrenching drawings are projected on the upstage wall of the theater.

It’s a powerful, unforgettable story, and director Dale Morris has created a palpable world of terror leavened by love. His cast is marvelous. Beth Bayless perfectly captures the surface serenity of this woman who sacrificed her life to preserve the souls, as well as the artistic creations, of her pupils. Tony Beville does awesome double duty as Friedl’s caring and often daring husband and the horrific, German-accented Nazi who torments her. His moments of physical brutality are especially harrowing. Seventeen year-old Luis Quiroz, a recent graduate of Hoover High (and former student of Bayless) has just the right tough-guy veneer for brash-but-sensitive Leo. As the girls, 11 year-old Becca Myers and 16 year-old Zoe Katz are thoroughly believable. Maddy Bersin plays a third girl; she’ll rotate into the role of 16 year-old Rebecca on August 5.

There are so many personal connections to this story. Becca Myers’ great-great-great grandmother and grandfather perished in Terezin. Last year, Becca performed in the J*Company’s abridged version of Brundibar, the opera written for the children inside Terezin (created to impress the visiting Red Cross). The woman who played the Cat in the original production was in San Diego last year for the Jewish Book Fair. Another woman who was a young inmate in Terezin at the same time as Friedl, though she was in the German barracks, is a cousin of local actor Punit Auerbacher. She and the playwright are scheduled to attend the prerformance on Friday night (8/3), after which they’ll talk to the audience. This is such a compelling story, such a potent piece of theater and such a gripping production, it really shouldn’t be missed.

LOCATION: 6th @ Penn Theatre; Program 10 runs through August 10, Program 11 through August 12 The final Program of the Festival is Buried: The Sago Mine Disaster, written by Dr. Jerry Starr, with music by Anne Feeney, directed by Dale Morris. It focuses on the event and aftermath of the January 2006 West Virginia mine explosion that took 12 lives. August 9-12 only.

BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET