On Night 8 of the 72nd Ballyshannon Drama Festival, Newpoint Players present ‘Ghetto’ by Joshua Sobol, adapted by Sean Treanor.
In his play, Sobol dramatises the recorded experiences of the Jews of the Vilnius Ghetto. Namesofcharacters,songsperformedandeventsportrayedarehistoricallycorrect.Intheyears from 1941 to 1944, four fifths of the inhabitants of the Ghetto lost their lives, many executed at the nearby Ponar camp; others died resisting their treatment. German officers, such as Kittel, who directed the life of the Ghetto, showed unmitigated cruelty. Some Jewish leaders tried to appease and/or manipulate their oppressors in an attempt to maximise the numbers who might survive. Mending uniforms, recording the details of endangered libraries, playing music, acting in plays, all counted as a means of getting the work permits and these increased chances of survival. For some prominent Jews, such as Gens, the head of the Jewish Police, there was a dilemma as to how far collaboration should go. He also asks if there is no music, no theatre, no creativity, will the Jews become as brutish as their oppressors. For others, such as the librarian Kruk, or for the partisans, any form of art or collaboration with the Nazis is unacceptable.
Curtain: 8pm, Tickets: https://abbeycentre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173661445/events/428706117/seats?zone=Seated
