Impressions From Theatre of Remembrance 2025.
This Monday past, January 27th, was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the centre point of our programme for Theatre of Remembrance. On this day designated by the United Nations in 2005, people around the world are commemorating the end of WWII and the liberation of the Jewish people, and all of those affected by the Nazi regime during this time. To strengthen and honour this day, Theatre of Remembrance works with performing arts organisations across Europe to create theatre performances wherein youngsters collaborate with seniors to produce a theatre play inspired by their eye witness testimonies.
This year, Theatre of Remembrance has expanded. With 10 performances happening throughout the continent in 8 countries, we have been thrilled by the energy and enthusiasm that has gone into these productions. In 2024 we have developed this website to be the place where you can find out all the information about Theatre of Remembrance. We have also branched out on social media, starting an Instagram page where you can see more of what goes on behind the scenes and the making of Theatre of Remembrance @theatreofremembrance. There, you will also see some impressions from the productions which happened this year.
With so many youngsters creating these inspiring performances, we were eager to see them for ourselves and were able to send some of our own team to visit the productions in Italy, Germany, and Czech Republic. Keep reading to find out the first impressions from Theatre of Remembrance 2025.

I STAND STILL and (get) move(d) by The ACADEMY & Alte Feuerwache e.V. in Berlin.
Attended and reported on by Andrada Maria Şimo-Mosk, artistic producer of youth projects from the parent organisation of the Theatre of Remembrance, Theater Na de Dam.
“History can be seen everywhere in the streets of Berlin. But if you walk past it every day, it is less and less noticeable. You hardly think about it anymore. These young people do—they get moving.
Why am I making a performance about the Holocaust? What does it have to do with me? When is the feeling of guilt enough? In the performance I STAND STILL and (get) move(d), young people from Berlin make themselves vulnerable and reflect on these questions. Their thoughts about this loaded history intertwine with the stories of women who were imprisoned in the Ravensbrück camp. It becomes an intense search for how we can deal with this history: an attempt to make the unspeakable tangible and palpable.
In this production, the decor changes constantly, with flowing movements led by the performers themselves. Every square meter of space is used well, and the audience moves along, led by the emotions and energy of the story. The young people stand in their power and search for what they do not know, while embracing the past.
Personal stories of women in Ravensbrück—then a place of unimaginable horror—are now impressively brought to life in a museum setting. Thoughts as the only freedom in the darkness of the camp, experiments on women, a forbidden war song from Poland; every element touches deeply. The audience feels the intensity of this history in every carefully thought-out space, in every station.
Several times I had a lump in my throat. Can we face reality, or do we try to shake it off? The young people deal with this carefully and portray the oppression and power of life in the camp with beautiful choreographies.
The performance raises questions that linger: What is freedom? What do we do with our time? How should we commemorate this? It reminds us of the lost years of many, those silent interstitial spaces in which nothing and everything happened. It is a confrontational journey, not only into the past, but also into our own consciousness.
So much remains unspoken, and yet here the unspoken was made tangible. I STAND STILL and (get) move(d) is an unforgettable experience that will continue to resonate for a long time.”
To read more from Andrada, check out this column by her, Solidarity Across Borders.

Cloverfields by Post Bellum Czech Republic in Prague.
Attended and reported on by Rinke Brans, the project officer for Theatre of Remembrance and the Dutch youth projects of Theatre Na de Dam.
“A performance made by youngsters from a circus/theatre group, Cirqueon. They create beautiful images in both group and smaller formations, using some wooden chairs and tables, and a rope hanging 5 meters or so high. The performance was supported by audio fragments, pieces of the interviews with elderly, as well as some live constructed singing and humming.
Although I did not understand the language, I could easily understand that the youngsters were creating images with their acrobatic skills, responding to what they had learned from the interviews. In one audio fragment, we heard one of the elderly speak, and then one of the youngsters respond. Tamara Pomoriški, the director, told me afterwards that the youngster in the audio fragment is speaking in third person, repeating the story that the elderly person is telling, in order to create some distance, and to literally retell the story so that it lives on.
What was also nice was that some of the elderly who were interviewed were sitting on the front row with their loved ones. They were the first audience members who were brought to their seat, a sort of VIP treatment from some of the youngsters. It was nice to see that the youngsters took such good care of them, helping them in their seats, and afterwards giving them flowers and helping them up again.”
To read more from Rinke, check out this interview with her, Get To Know Our Team: Rinke Brans.

‘HOPE’ Hotel by Fondazione Teatro Ragazzi e Giovani Onlus in Turin.
Attended and reported on by Maïté Moloney, the Marketing & Communications Coordinator for Theatre of Remembrance.
“Arriving at Le Nuove, there are many friendly faces waiting outside the building. Project Manager Francesca Savini, took me through the venue, a former prison which was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. It is now full of small gardens, informative placards, and friendly museum staff. There is a haunting feeling at this kind of venue, but I’m quickly put at ease by the hospitality of the team from Fondazione Teatro Ragazzi e Giovani Onlus.
Arriving at the stage area, one of two directors, Thea della Valle is testing the sound and I get a moment to meet the youngsters behind the performance. Through broken English and Italian, we speak a bit about their enthusiasm for Theatre of Remembrance, and they explain to me that this will be the last performance, and though they are relieved, they would have loved to put on more shows.
Just before the time comes to let the audience in, the youngsters gather around and I’m invited to join in a circle connected by holding pinky fingers. The other director, Antonio Bertusi explains to me that this is an Italian good luck ritual; he counts down, ‘tre, due, uno’ before we share an excited screaming of ‘merde, merde, merde!’ for luck to the youngsters.
Next comes the elderly who helped with the research, providing their memories and eyewitness testimonies for this play. One lived through the war in Turin, and another tells the story of her Mother who was sent to the concentration camp in Ravensbrück, Germany and managed to return to Turin. Sitting in the front row with them, the play begins.
This play centres around the ‘Albergo Speranza’ which was a small hotel, active during WWII until it was bombed in 1943, despite its proximity to the Nazi occupied former prison, le Nuove. A non-linear story, the youngsters acted out the impressions that the travellers visiting this hotel might have had while passing through this tumultuous war zone. This short play was expertly executed by the outgoing and poetic team of youngsters. The venue lent greatly to the ambiance of the play and we finished with a small thank you from the director, who made a special thanks to Theatre of Remembrance and the elderly witnesses who provided their memories to help create this production”
To read more from Maïté, check out this interview with her, Get To Know Our Team: Maïté Moloney.
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Keep an eye on our channels to hear more about Theatre of Remembrance 2025, and the after movie to catch a glimpse of all the performances which happened as a part of this programme.