Lights Up on the Dark: The Holocaust Onstage23 Juni 2025

"Performing Captivity, Performing Escape: Cabarets and Plays from the Terezin/Theresienstadt Ghetto," edited by Lisa Peschel (16th June 2025)

Content warning: this episode contains references to disordered eating.

In this week’s episode, Alex and Dr Sam talk to Professor Lisa Peschel - whose interviews with Czech survivors of Terezin/Theresienstadt led to the discovery of numerous scripts, previously thought lost, of the performances staged inside the ghetto. This led to the publication in German, Czech and English of Performing Captivity, Performing Escape, a collection of 12 of these scripts.

The trio discuss elements including the historical background of Terezin/Theresienstadt; the cultural life in the ghetto; Lisa’s interviews; her experiences of working with the plays, including reactions from students; and the potential highlights and challenges for educators. Lisa gives a reading of the book’s epilogue, the satirical yet poignant New Year’s Eve in the Oederan Slave-Labor Camp. Overall, the discussion considers how the plays allow students and teachers to gain an insight into the lives and experiences of the people who created and performed them.

Some sound issues were experienced during recording - thank you for bearing with us!

Hosts: Samantha Mitschke & Alexandra Gellner

Guest: Lisa Peschel

Executive Producer: Samantha Mitschke

Producer / Editor: Alexandra Gellner

Music: “⁠Image⁠” by ⁠Infraction Music⁠

Contact: ⁠https://holocaustonstage.com/contact/⁠

Plays

Lisa Peschel (ed.) (2014) ⁠Performing Captivity, Performing Escape: Cabarets and Plays from the Terezín/Theresienstadt Ghetto⁠. Seagull Books.

Other sources

Visit the ⁠Performing the Jewish Archive⁠ website to explore a vast range of material, including a video recording of The Smoke of Home.

To learn more about Lisa and her work, please visit the ⁠University of York website⁠.

To request a full list of resources for this episode, please use this form.

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