An upcoming play in Chatham is set to shed light on the haunting and profound story of survival and resilience during the Holocaust.
Theatre Kent's latest production “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” follows the true story of a girl’s experiences during the Holocaust in the Terezin (Theresienstadt) Concentration Camp about 30 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic.
Co-director Tim Luimes said the camp housed 15,000 children under the age of 15 between 1942 and 1944. Less than 100 children survived.
"The rest were either gassed in Auschwitz or died in the concentration camp," said Luimes.
The play, written by Celeste Raspanti, is inspired by the book arranged by Hana Volavková, a Czechoslovakian art historian who survived WWII.
The book is a collection of art and poetry created by the Jewish children who lived in the Terezin.
"Those pieces of poetry and artwork survived and have now been published in a book," said Luimes.
According to a news release from the Ontario Government late last year, Holocaust studies were implemented into the Grade 6 curriculum this fall. Learning about the Holocaust and other acts of genocide has been a mandatory part of the Grade 10 Canadian History Since World War I course.
The play was timed to coincide with Remembrance Day. The six performances will include two school matinees, as well as evening performances on November 9, 10, and 11, along with an afternoon matinee on November 11.
"We wanted to perform the show around Remembrance Day in order to remind the younger generation that war was not just something that soldiers experienced," said Luimes. "There were children who experienced the fear of trauma in the war. Many died."
Lumies noted that Remembrance Day is not just a time to honour the soldiers, but a time to honour other groups of people who were "very much impacted by the war."
"My co-director and I heard about this news from the province and it talked about how the Holocaust was going to be included in the Grade 6 curriculum," said Luimes. "We thought this was an opportunity for us to share this show and really teach the next generation of children about the reality of war."
The cast is made up of actors aged 10 to 30. Luimes said many had some education in the area of the Holocaust but even those who learned about the event previously have been deeply moved by the story.
"We're really looking forward to putting this story on the stage," said Lumies.
The show will take place at the Kiwanis Theatre, Chatham Cultural Centre.
Anyone who would like more information about assisting behind the scenes with this show can do so by emailing tim.luimes@gmail.com.
For tickets contact the CK box office or go to CKtickets.com.
