The Girl Who Lived by Adam Loughlin and Paul Quinn. Bridging the Gap Youth Productions at The Street Theatre until Saturday, 12 noon and 8pm. 1 hour 50 minutes, no interval.
We are often told that youth are less politically committed today, but this group from Wollongong stands tall for human rights. They tell the story of the Holocaust, saying it must not remain a footnote in history, just an entry in an encyclopaedia with dates and numbers "but not our voices".
The Girl Who Lived is an often powerful and confrontational production by 50 young people aged 14 to 21. The voices of the victims, of the ordinary people persuaded into hatred by propaganda and fear-mongering, and of the perpetrators of torture and industrial-scale mass murder are loud and clear. So too is the message. The world must never again "stand by, and watch" as we did then and since in Cambodia, Kosovo, Rwanda ....
Performers on stage, though not professionals, are totally committed and tightly focussed. They present an excellent example to the large numbers of teenagers in our school and college drama courses. Though it may be short notice, every local drama student should endeavour to get to The Street Theatre this week.
The video production, sound track, set design and technical production are all excellent quality. Definitely professional standard, and especially effective on The Street's main stage. Some scenes on stage could be trimmed, but the multi-media is spot on.
The unnamed girl in the title was found by an SS guard. She alone survived the gas, was taken out by the guard whose superiors ordered him to shoot her, which he did. He recorded the event in his diary. Lest we forget.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
No comments:
Post a Comment