News

The Warner Pacific College Drama Program presents Kindertransport, by Diane Samuels, by special arrangement with Susan Schulman Literary Agency, LLC.

When: There are multiple show times with refreshments available:

• Thursday, November 10, through Saturday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, November 13, at 2:00 p.m. followed by a talkback discussion with company members (free and open to the public)

 Where: Warner Pacific College, McGuire Theatre, 2219 SE 68th Ave., Portland (cross street is SE Division St.; plenty of free parking available in the College’s main lot)

What is Kindertransport?

Less than a year before the outbreak of World War II, rescue efforts were organized to transport children – most of them Jewish – from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia to Holland and England. It is estimated that 10,000 children were saved by these rescues.

Diane Samuels’ play, Kindertransport, examines the life of Evelyn, a Kindertransport survivor, in denial of her past until her daughter discovers artifacts in the attic that reveal Evelyn’s true identity. Ultimately the play is about identity– how do you establish your sense of self after enduring unthinkable circumstances? And how do you engage with the world and the people around you in light of that?

Why should we do this play now? What does it have to do with us?

MercyCorps reports that “Syria’s civil war is the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. More than 11 million people have been killed or forced to flee their homes.” Many of the refugees are children. As the refugee crisis continues to grow, it is critical for us to ask ourselves big questions, like, “What is my responsibility to my neighbors?” “What is the world I want to live in, and how do I participate in creating that world?” “What does the future hold for today’s refugees?” Embodying and sharing characters’ stories on the stage is a powerful way to help people see and hear the challenges our neighbors around the world are facing and to begin thinking more creatively about how we can each play a role in transforming the world.