The New Jewish Theatre

January 26-February 12

Juan Mayorga’s hauntingly gripping and profoundly moving play is inspired by the elaborate deception that took place at the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where the Nazis constructed a “model village” to fool international inspectors, quell extermination rumors and to prove to the world how thoughtfully and creatively they were solving the “Jewish problem.” The play begins years after the fact with an account by the Red Cross employee who journeyed to our “fictional” camp to inspect it, then leaps backward in time to show the creation and rehearsal of another very unusual play, one in which the Jewish prisoners are assigned roles and given lines to say to any Red Cross inspectors passing by. The inspector arrives with questions regarding all the rumors. Surely he will be able to see the truth with his own eyes. Or will he?  Mayorga’s startlingly original play asks, how much courage is required to take responsibility for what one sees.