Dialogues (4/22/17)

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Ha Shoah), the NYPL Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts presented a series of readings as well as short videos and a brief panel discussion, all under the auspices of The National Jewish Theater Foundation Holocaust Theater Initiative. This was one of many presentations that took place around the country over a three- to four-day period.

There was a video of an Oprah Winfrey interview with Elie Wiesel, readings from three sections of Wiesel’s Dialogues (Adam Keller, Arden Truax, Greg Mullavey, Mickey Tennenbaum, Theresa McCarthy, and Theodora Silverman), a video of a Holocaust survivor (Irving Roth), a video of a
young actress (Andi Potamkin), and a reading from Wiesel’s A Black Canopy,
A Black Sky (Mr. Mullavey, Craig Newman, Nora Davis, Mr. Keller, and
Mr. Tennenbaum).

Then a panel discussion, Understanding Holocaust Theater, followed with Arnold Mittelman (moderator), and Jeff Cohen (playwright), Sheldon Harnick (lyricist), Charles Strouse (composer), Sherman Yellen (author), and Lori Weintraub (from the Wagner College Holocaust Center).

All of the Wiesel readings were very effective, dealing with how the different characters (Man/Little Sister, Father/Son, Mother/Daughter, and Maggid/
Man/Woman (Wife?)/Boy) dealt with the realities of what the Holocaust would bring and, more importantly, leave behind. What it left behind was stories and memories—stories and memories that should never be lost, should always be saved and, unfortunately, should always be shared.

All of the readings were what could be referred to as ‘witness theater’ and that was the basic topic of the panel discussion. The question put to the panel was whether or not the Holocaust informed, specifically, their writings for the theater or otherwise. The basic response was that it colored their writing, but was not specifically referred to (with the exception of Mr. Cohen’s Soap Myth that I saw
last spring and commented on in an earlier blog post). As mentioned, this segment
of the program was brief and only barely touched on recent politics when
Mr. Mittelman brought up the Syrian refugee situation in contrast with the German/Jew refugee situation in the 1930s/’40s. Just as with ‘witness theater’, ‘witness refugeeism’ must never be lost, must always be saved and, unfortunately, must always be shared.

ConcertMeister