"Album Karla Höckera / The Album of Karl Höcker" with Paul Bargetto

CONTENT WARNING: References to suicide

In this week’s episode, Sam and Alex talk to director and dramaturg Paul Bargetto about devised part process, part docu-drama Album Karla Höckera / The Album of Karl Höcker. Co-created by Paul in collaboration with his team at Teatr Trans-Atlantyk, an international independent theatre ensemble from Warsaw, the piece delves into the album of 116 photos received by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007, chronicling the activities of the Auschwitz SS. The album was created by and belonged to Karl Höcker - adjutant to the Commandant from May 1944 until the camp’s forced evacuation in January 1945.

“Album Karla Höckera” [...] is an attempt to understand the historical catastrophe of Auschwitz from the largely unexamined perspective of the perpetrators. Using documentary theatre techniques, improvisation, research and scripted drama, the performance explores the all-too-human men and women who carried out the Final Solution.

Sam, Alex and Paul discuss elements including the devising process; the highlights and challenges of both participating and watching; the historical context, including Höcker’s life after the war; how the piece both implicitly and explicitly encourages spectators to consider their own ability to say ‘no’; and Paul’s experiences of performing the piece to different audiences around the world - from dozens of Polish Army cadets to an audience in Oświęcim that included three Auschwitz survivors.

Don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe and share!

Hosts: Samantha Mitschke & Alexandra Gellner

Guest: Paul Bargetto

Executive Producer: Samantha Mitschke

Producer / Editor: Alexandra Gellner

Music: “⁠Image⁠” by ⁠Infraction Music⁠

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

Episode Sources

Books & Articles

Holocaust Survivors and Remembrance Project, ⁠Karl Hoecker (Höcker)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), ⁠Auschwitz Through the Lens of the SS: The Album⁠.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), ⁠Collections Highlight: Auschwitz Through the Lens of the SS⁠.

Plays

Teatr Trans-Atlantyk, ⁠Album Karla Höckera⁠.

Other sources

To learn more about Paul and his work, please visit ⁠https://paulbargetto.com/⁠.

To request a full list of other sources, please use the Contact details.