The youth theatre performance created through collective creation and fixed improvisation revolves around the hope for the future during the Holocaust.
It is inspired by the life and story of Dalma Špitzerová and her two sisters – Lily and Iboja. The latter – Iboja Wandall-Holm – is a Slovak-Danish author and translator, still active at the age of 104, who survived Auschwitz and the death march to Ravensbrück. Her autobiographical novel “Mulberry” – an inspiration for the production – captures not only her fate but also the history of wartime Europe, including the fascist Slovak puppet state and the tragedy of Slovak Jews during the Shoah.
The theatre production is not only a story about the war and the horrors of concentration camps. It is also a story of hope, love, the immense value of human life, and the desire to live while not stopping being a human. It is to remind us how easily many people can fall for efforts to weaken the rule of law, tolerance, democracy and freedom in favour of totalitarian narratives leading to irreversible actions eventually.
The following quote from the book embodies the main leitmotif of the performance:
“Much saddens me, much worries me, and much makes me happy. Even the worst historical storms have not completely clouded my inner sky. The past lives in my presence… However, it also warns of signs of new catastrophes, explosions of totalitarianism, and the danger of nostalgia for it.”
