The Last Cyclist - Lex
Transcription
The Last Cyclist - Lex
Lex-Ham Community Theater presents The Last Cyclist Why Why ews? J ? the Cyclists th e ( a BITTER COMEDY WRITTEN IN TEREZÍN IN 1943 by Karel Švenk adapted by Naomi Patz The play is being produced in partnership with the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center, Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota, Good Samaritan UNITED METHODist Church, and the Saint Paul Jewish Community Center. Special pricing and discounts are available for members of the Czech and Slovak Cultural Center, Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota, and the JCC. Contact those organizations for more information. 7:30 p.m. June 5, 6 , 2::00 p.m. June 7 CSPS Sokol Hall 7:30 pm June 12, 13 Good Samaritan UMC 383 Michigan Street, St. Paul 5730 Grove Street, Edina 7:30 p.m. June 11 , 2:00 p.m. June 14 st. paul jcc 7:30 pm June 19, 20 Blank Slate Theatre 1375 St. Paul Avenue, sT. pAUL $18 499 Wacouta Street, St. Paul adults/$12 for children, students, and seniors age 65+ $10 at good samaritan UMc www.TheLastCyclist.com The Last Cyclist by Karel Švenk as adapted by Naomi Patz Cast and Crew Sherry Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Manickova Mikel Clifford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lunatic 2 Timothy Como . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lunatic 1 Debra Constantine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rich Richard Daly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rat Christine DeZelar-Tiedman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hitler, Lunatic 3 Adam Dielschneider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Karel Švenk/Borivoj Abeles Jerry Harrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr Opportunist, Big Shot Kristine Holmgren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ma’am Shira Levenson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manicka Geordy Levin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red David Merry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Head Physician, Lunatic 4 Eli Newell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Young Man, Celery, Runner, Lion Janell Schilman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Secret Lunatic, Other Cyclist, Ms. Hippo Pianist:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Rose Clarinetists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Henningsen, Lisa Lee, Mark Stevens Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Arnold Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jennifer Thissen Swain Music Director/Associate Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Rose Set Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dutton Foster Costume Designers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Judy Larsen, Liz Notermann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Quirin, Renae Redenius Props Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jennifer Nagel Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elie Socha Lighting Tech crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kim Berry, Libby Christiansen, Rachel Simon Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lou Michaels, Lila Lee Taft Videography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Simon, Carli Stark Graphic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kasia Wasko Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Urban Landreman Scenes The play is set in the final dress rehearsal for The Last Cyclist in the Terezín ghetto or concentration camp Act II Act I 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 2 Garden of the lunatic asylum Town Garden of the lunatic asylum Town Town Town hall The middle of nowhere Meeting hall of the lunatic asylum 9. The bedroom 10. A stream 11. Street 12. House 13. Nowhere in particular 10-minute intermission 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Town The courtroom Horror Island Middle of nowhere Lunatic meeting hall The zoo Lunatic meeting hall The zoo Street Cast and Crew Sherry Allen (Mrs. Manickova) Sherry has been doing community theater for the past eight years. Hello Dolly was her first play and she fel in love with the stage. Sherry has been married to her husban for 28 years and they have three children. Her most recent plays have been It’s A Wonderful Life, as Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire, and as the Duchess in Alice in Wonderland. Adam Arnold (Director) Adam feels honored to be directing The Last Cyclist with Lex-Ham Community Theatre. Serving also as Artistic Director for blank slate theatre, Adam’s directing credits include The Laramie Project, A Night To Be, Good ‘n’ Plenty, Generations, Songs for a New World, Spring’s Awakening, Fiddler on the Roof, Pippin, Little Shop of Horrors, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Honk! The Ugly Duckling Musical, Alice in Wonderland, and Beauty and the Beast. Please remember to turn off all cell phones or pagers during the performance. Adam has performed with Minneapolis Musical Theatre, Bloomington Civic Theatre, Paul Bunyan Playhouse (Bemidji, MN), College Light Opera Company (Cape Cod, MA), Heritage Theatre, blank slate theatre, The Phipps Center (Hudson, WI), and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Adam has directed and taught musical theatre and acting for Boston Ballet, Sabes Jewish Community Center, Omegon Inc., Talmud Torah School, Get Ready!, St. Paul Jewish Community Center, St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, Stages Theatre Company, Lex-Ham Community Theater, and McNally Smith College of Music. Kim Berry (Lighting Tech) Kim is a visual artist who has lived in the West End for the past three years with her husband. They moved here from Sturgis, South Dakota. Kim and her husband have eight children and twelve grandchildren. Libby Christensen (Lighting Tech) Libby is a recent grad of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. She is now an advocate for the homeless with People Incorporated and spends free time painting, walking, and exploring Saint Paul. Mikel Clifford (Lunatic 2) Mikel acted, directed and costumed for theatres throughout the lower 48 and Alaska in both this century and the last. She originated what is now called the California Shakespeare Theatre (Orinda, CA) and the ongoing Minnesota Shakespeare Festival. Mikel is a founding member of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and of The Curtain Theatre of Mill Valley, CA. In Minnesota, she worked in Fringe Festivals, Chimera Theatre, Park Square, and TRP. She studied with Tomas McAnna & Warren Frost (acting), Emily Mann (directing), Karl Wallenda (movement), Lew Christiansen and Lenore Job (dance), Mamako (Mime), and Sandra Archer (Commedia). For the Minnesota Shakes, Mikel directs Jane Martin’s Good Boys in August 2009 in St. Paul at the Lowry Lab and other venues. Timothy Como (Lunatic 1) Tim hails from Marshall, Minnesota, but now is proud to call Saint Paul home. Tim has appeared on stages around the upper Midwest, as well at the Southwestern United States. This is Tim’s first, but hopefully not is last, appearance with Lex-Ham. He would like to thank his very cool wife, Renee, and their two equally cool cates, Smoke and Cinder, for having lots of patience while Tim goes “out to play”. “He couldn’t have cared less about politics and see where that’s gotten him.” - Borivoj Abeles 3 Debra Constantine (Rich) Debra is from Stillwater, MN and graduated from UW-River Falls in December with a degree in creative writing and theatre. She has performed in many college productions and wrote, directed, and produced White Bread, a play that performed in last year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival. Debra plans to attend grad school in Israel in the near future and until then, she is excited to be performing with Lex-Ham Community Theater. “I have a slogan. I have a calling. I have a cause.” - Ma’am Richard Daly (Rat) This is Richard’s third play for the Lex-Ham Theater. He is glad to be back with the Lex-Ham where he started acting two years ago. Since then, he has also appeared in Fools, Devil’s Disciple and The Madwoman of Chaillot at Theatre in the Round, Next at Wide Variety Theatre, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Heritage Theater Company. Christine DeZelar-Tiedman (Hitler, Lunatic 3) Christine has been seen in several previous Lex-Ham shows, most recently The Memorandum. She has also performed with Bedlam Theatre, Cromulent Shakespeare Company, Rosetown Playhouse, and Heritage Theatre Company, to name a few. In real life, Christine is a Librarian at the University of Minnesota, and enjoys attending theater, reading, and eating sushi. She would like to thank her husband, Steve, for putting up with being a theater widower for two months, and for driving her to and fro. Adam Dielschneider (Karel Švenk/Borivoj Abeles) Originally from Iowa, Adam came to the Twin Cities in 2002 to attend Northwestern College, where he earned a B.S. in English Writing. While in school, not only did he meet and marry his wife, Anna, but he also participated in numerous theater productions. He had acting roles in The Boys Next Door, Papa is All, The Glass Menagerie, and Stage Directions. He also served as Assistant Stage Manager for Quilters and Into the Woods. Since college, Adam has appeared onstage with several community theater productions, including You Can’t Take It With You at the Gallery Theater Company in Bloomington and Urinetown at St. Anthony Community Theater. This is his first performance with Lex-Ham Community Theater. Dutton Foster (Set Designer) Dutton has directed, designed, and built high-school and middle school shows since 1961. In recent years he has retired from directing and teaching high-school English, but continues to design and build for St. Paul Academy and Summit School, his former employer. Dutton is also a published playwright; his most successful opus has been a one-act melodrama, The Wild Flowering of Chastity, or Chaste Across the Stage, published in about 1970. Since the turn of the century Dutton’s set work has included (among others) The Laramie Project, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Miracle Worker, Peer Gynt, Into the Woods, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, City of Angels, and Pippin. Dutton recently designed the sets for Lex-Ham’s productions of The Women, All My Sons, The Fantasticks, and State of the Union. Beth Henningsen (Clarinetist) Beth has played violin for high school and community theatre productions of The King and I, The Sound of Music, Oliver, and Fiddler on the Roof. When not playing in pit orchestras, she plays violin for the Chapel Strings Orchestra and clarinet in the Lex-Ham Community Band. Jerry Harrison (Mr Opportunist, Big Shot) Jerry last appeared on stage in December 2008 as Warrior #3 in Comedia Beuragard’s production of A Klingon Christmas Carol. Prior to that he wrote and appeared a science fiction comedy called KPLA Kethas and Krom in the Morning as the voice of Uncle Krom and various guests. Kristine Holmgren (Ma’am) Kristine is a former Star Tribune columnist, a Presbyterian pastor and writer. Prior to her work with Lex-Ham Community Theater, she appeared in the Northfield Art Guild’s productions Crimes of the Heart and Steel Magnolias. Kristine is the Executive Director of The Dead Feminist Society of Minnesota and an advocate for gender equity, reproductive freedom and Minnesota women and families. She lives in Como Park with her Scottish terrier, Eleanor Roosevelt. 4 Urban Landreman (Producer) Urban has been involved with Lex-Ham productions since its initial work, Neighborhood on the Hill in 1996. His primary role is to help assemble a crew of very talented and creative people, give them the resources they need, solve problems that come up, and then get out of their way. Urban hopes you enjoy the show as much as he does. Lisa Lee (Clarinetist) Lisa has played in music ensembles for Lex-Ham Community Theater productions of The Vegetable, Quilters, and There’s Talk In Town. She was in the cast of Lex-Ham’s James and the Giant Peach and is a member of the Lex-Ham Community Band and St. Paul JCC Symphony Orchestra. Shira Levenson (Manicka) Shira has studied theater at the Moscow Art Theater (Moscow, Russia), The National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Center (NTI), The St. Petersburg Theater Arts Academy (Russia), The Brave New Institute (improv training) and The Hangar Theater in Ithaca, NY. She has a BFA in theater from Drake University in Des Moines, IA. Locally Shira has appeared with 20% Theater Company, The Minneapolis Pinter Studies, Bridge Productions, Nimbus, Lex-Ham and PSDT. She is proud and grateful to be a part of this important production. Geordy Levin (Red) Geordy Levin attends Transitions Plus in Minneapolis. He has always loved performing ever since he was a small child. He has appeared in numerous school plays including Bye Bye Birdie and Once on This Island at Ramsey IFAC. At the St. Paul JCC, Geordy has appeared as Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, the Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof, the Customer in Little Shop of Horrors and the King in Into the Woods. His favorite actress is Christy Carlson Romano. David Merry (Head Physician, Lunatic 4) Dave’s first acting experience was reciting “The Night Before Christmas” when he was five years old in eastern South Dakota. Since then he acted much in college including once when he had just had a full-length cast removed from his leg and he took a part in which he was required to fall down a flight of stairs. David considers perform in The Last Cyclist with Lex-Ham a long overdue privilege. Jennifer Nagel (Props Coordinator) Jennifer is a former auctioneer who still keeps an eye out for great finds. Between working full time for a county public health department, doing voice-over work, and finishing her business degree, she satisfies her shopoholic nature by helping source props for the Lex-Ham Community Theater. Eli Newell (Young Man, Celery, Runner, Lion) Eli, an eighth grader at Talmud Torah of St. Paul, is thrilled to be making his debut with Lex-Ham Community Theater. Some of his favorite past credits include “Winthrop” in The Music Man, “Wickersham Brother” in Seussical the Musical (Hillcrest Community Theatre/Youth Performance Company), “Sammy” in The Odd Potato (Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company), “The Artful Dodger” in Oliver! (New Breath Productions), “Maxwell” in Generations (blank slate theatre) and “Jack” in Into The Woods (5th Season Entertainment). Eli also plays piano and clarinet, and studies tap, jazz and ballet. He eagerly looks forward to pursuing his passion in musical theatre and the performing arts. Ed Quirin (Costumes) This is Ed’s sixth show with Lex-Ham, having most recently worked on The Memorandum in 2008. When not working on costumes, Ed is pursuing his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding/Plant Genetics at the U of M. He would like to thank the cast and crew for giving him this opportunity. “The power surely rests with the lunatics these days and if I want to get anywhere with them I’ve got to seem as crazy as they are” - Mr. Opportunist 5 Jack Rose (Associate Producer, Music Director) serves on the boards of Lex-Ham Community Arts and of the Independent Computer Consultants Association of Minnesota (ICCA-MN.org). In real life Jack is a computer consultant and a fan of Minnesota and Wisconsin’s hundreds of miles of bike trails. Janell Schilman (Secret Lunatic, Other Cyclist, Ms. Hippo) This is Janell’s first production with Lex-Ham Community Theater, and she is very happy to be part of such a wonderful production. Janell last played, Laura in Corcoran Park Player’s Production of, Still Life by Noel Coward. When not on stage, you can find her dealing with the drama of others as a Social Worker. Janell wishes to thank her husband Hideki for his ongoing support and encouragement, and thank the DCSS theatre group for their continued support of community theatre. Mark Stevens (Clarinetist) Mark plays flute in Lex-Ham Community Band. In 2009, he has played flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, and baritone saxophone in pit orchestras for community theatre or high school productions of the musicals Cinderella, Singin’ in the Rain, Anything Goes, and Guys and Dolls. Jennifer Thissen Swain (Stage Manager) Jen started acting in community theatre when she was eight and has been involved in over 20 productions. Equally at home behind the stage or on it, Jen has been billed as an actor, choreographer, lighting designer, director, lightboard operator, prop master and stage manager - sometimes wearing two or three hats in the same production. This is Jen’s first Lex-Ham production and her first show after a five-year hiatus from theatre. She would like to thank her husband, Justin, for packing her rehearsal night dinners for the past eight weeks (radishes AND salt - what a lucky woman!) and her family for providing her with props. Grandpa’s bike has been in so many productions that it really should start getting its own bio! What You Need to Know about Terezín to Enrich Your Understanding of This Play by Naomi Patz Terezín (Theresienstadt, in German) is located 40 miles from Prague. It was built as a walled garrison town and fortress in the 18th century by the Hapsburg monarchy. During the Second World War, the Nazis evicted the civilian population and created the concentration camp they called the “Theresienstadt Ghetto.” Terezin was not a death camp (all six death camps – Auschwitz, Treblinka, Maidanek, Chelmno, Sobibor and Belzec – were located in Poland) but, rather, a work camp and transit point for the nearly 140,000 Jews who passed through the camp between 1941- 1945. It was a dreadful place, although a virtual paradise compared to the camps in Poland (“in the east”). At its most crowded, 50,000 prisoners were crammed into a place meant to hold 6,000 people. Families were divided; there were barracks for men, barracks for women and barracks for children. Approximately 60 people slept crowded into three tiers of bunks in each poorly heated dormitory room. There was no privacy, no modesty, no personal space. Three to four hundred people shared a single toilet, and more often than not the toilets were backed up and overflowing. They were given very little food – mainly bread, potatoes, cabbage and turnips. There was virtually no protein in the diet. People lined up for these bare-subsistence meals holding their plate and mug and then ate whatever was ladled out standing up. The situation was particularly desperate for the elderly, many of whom died of starvation because the Jewish Council of Elders ordered that they be given the smallest rations in order to have enough food to keep the children and working people alive. 6 Hunger, exhaustion and disease were a permanent feature of daily life for everyone in the camp. Despite the meager rations, the camp inmates were forced to work long hours every day of the week. Some were assigned to assembly lines producing items deemed essential to the German war effort; others were set to meaningless hard labor. Many draftsmen, designers, artists and accountants worked on reports for the SS, who endlessly documented what was happening in the camp (and everywhere else under their control as well) with graphs, detailed statistics, surveys and lavishly illustrated reports. Each camp inmate was registered in at least 17 files. This work was fraught with tension: mistakes as simple as a typographical or clerical error would result in immediate, drastic punishment, even death. The Jewish Council of Elders organized the worked in the kitchens, the hospitals and the schools that were set up for the children. After a while, there was even a department within the Council charged with organizing “leisure time activities.” In this environment, what would under normal conditions be insignificant assumed overwhelming importance: breaking a shoelace or losing a spoon was nearly catastrophic. In this way, Terezin was like the other camps. But Terezin was also unique. Much of the intellectual Jewish cream of European society – painters, writers, composers, musicians and scholars, and their families – passed through the camp, and most of them contributed in one way or another to the extraordinary flourishing of culture in this most unlikely of places. In the bizarre environment of the concentration camp, they managed to have “an artistic and intellectual life so fierce, so determined, so vibrant, so fertile as to be almost unimaginable.” The Holocaust scholar Rebecca Rovit writes, “It defies our understanding to imagine concentration camp inmates singing, playing classical music, and dancing on makeshift stages or in crowded barracks at the same time that cattle cars transported their fellow inmates [and, sooner or later, most of them] toward Auschwitz. The grotesquerie of such events suggests frivolity and even sacrilege. If people could act in plays and create art while facing death, that would have to mean that life in the camps could not have been so desperate. But the inmates knew that the camps were evil. And we know that they were very evil. And we now know that people sang and danced in spite of and because of the Nazi hell and the murderous ‘Final Solution’. ” Norbert Frýd, a Czech theater director who was deported to Terezín in August 1943 and survived the war, expressed it this way: “If Terezín was not hell itself, like Auschwitz, it was the anteroom to hell. But culture was still possible, and for many this frenetic clinging to an almost hypertrophy of culture was the final assurance. We are human beings and we remain human beings, they were saying in this way, despite everything! And if we must perish, the sacrifice must not have been made in vain. We must give it some meaning!” Mirko Tuma wrote, “The ghetto, since its beginning, was filled with people who were professional artists or dabbled in the arts as dilettantes – all of them knowing that the only means to survive, if at all, was for the spirit to transcend the pain of the body… . Heroism was in the will to create, to paint, to write, to perform and to compose in hell.” For Viktor Ullman, a pianist, music critic and composer who was interned in Terezín, it was a sacred mission: “We did not simply sit down by the waters of Babylon and weep, but evinced a desire to produce art that was entirely commensurate with our will to live.” Ullman, who wrote the daring opera The Emperor of Atlantis in Terezín, was sent on a transport to Auschwitz on October 14, 1944 and to the gas chamber immediately upon arrival. Continued on Page 8 7 Continued from Page 7 As Ludek Eliash, a theater director who acted in productions in Terezín, describes it: “… People were dying, transports were departing … if an actor didn’t turn up for a rehearsal, he was gone [on a transport to Auschwitz or another of the death camps in the east]…. But whatever we were doing, we were stubbornly connecting it with some happy future. Reality and theater were completely different things.” And Jana Šedová, coauthor of the 1961 version of The Last Cyclist, wrote: “Hardly anywhere in the world was there such a grateful audience as in the attics of Terezín. Hardly a single actor anywhere else has ever been rewarded for his endeavours by such love from his public. … a great hunger for culture in a place where there was not even enough bread to eat.” The commitment by the professionals and amateurs who took part in the theatrical productions was astounding. Performances took place in the evening, after everyone – including all of the performers – had completed an exhausting day’s work on meager food rations. Rehearsals, critiques of the performances and even a theater workshop for aspiring actors were held even later, well into the night. Although at first the plays, concerts, lectures and paintings were done secretly, they were later tolerated and then encouraged by the Council of Elders. After a while, the Nazis cynically exploited the cultural and artistic activities for their own ends. There are two particularly egregious examples of this: One: The Danish government maintained active concern throughout the war for Danish Jewish citizens interned by the Nazis. To that end, in 1944 they requested a visit to the camp to be conducted under the auspices of the Swiss Red Cross. The SS undertook a vast “beautification” campaign which involved a physical upgrading of the facilities that the delegation would be taken to see – cafes, sports fields, a bandstand, a merry-go-round, and even the printing of fake currency – as well as the deportation of the sick and elderly to reduce overcrowding and increase the “healthy appearance” of the prisoners who would become performers in this Potemkin village-like travesty. The visit was so successful and the deception so complete that the delegation decided not to continue on to inspect Auschwitz, which was part of its original plan. (Whether or not it would have been allowed to happen is another matter.) Two: The Red Cross visit was followed by the creation of a propaganda film. One of the most accomplished of the theater people interned in Terezín, Kurt Gerron, was forced to be its director. The film came to be called “The Fuhrer Gives a Town to the Jews.” It presented a totally whitewashed portrait of the camp and completely concealed the deplorable conditions in which the prisoners lived. Virtually everyone involved in producing, directing, filming and acting in the movie was sent immediately afterward to transports to Auschwitz. A fragment of the film is preserved in the archives of the Ghetto Museum at Terezín. A true picture of conditions at Terezín is starkly revealed in the drawings and paintings made secretly by some of the artists in the camp. The Last Cyclist was written and directed by Karel Švenk in Terezín in 1943. Drawings are by Bedrich Fritta. 8 Special Thanks Go To Anchor Bank - St. Paul blank slate theatre Concordia University - St. Paul Czech and Slovak Cultural Center Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota Express Bike Shop Good Samaritan United Methodist Church McTeer Systems New Prague Arts Council Saint Catherine University Saint Paul Academy and Summit School Saint Paul Neighborhood Network Saint Paul Jewish Community Center Skyway YMCA Stogies on Grand Warner Stellian Jessa Bender Lizzy Egbert Renee Gust Ann Hoffer Alex Locke Odegaard family Naomi Patz Lisa Peschel Ben Savin Anabel Wirt Carol Ann Winther 2009 Friends Campaign Donors Angels ($100 and over) Michele and Jerry Cromer-Poirée William Helfmann Urban Landreman Joy Lindsay Patrons ($50 to $99) Jack Brondom and Pat McGowan Dutton Foster Natalie Westreich Backers ($25 to $49) Bonnie Beverly Linda Fei Mark and Darlene Levenson Lynne Vannelli Friend (Up to $24) Jane Kerr Holly Windle Terezín Naomi Patz is author of seven books, including Explaining Reform Judaism, with Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, and The Jewish Holiday Treasure Trail (Behrman House), and editor of many books and articles. She has written numerous scripts and parodies translated from Hebrew (with her husband), The Third Cry, a fantasy play by Yaakov Cahan, and wrote the book for A Word to the Wise, a setting to music of three Jewish folktales. She has also written many creative services for the Sabbath and Rosh Hashanah as well as a prayer book and women’s Haggadah. She has also written monographs on the Jewish communities of Dvur Kralove nad Labem and Jihlava in the Czech Republic. She is a graduate of Barnard College and holds masters degrees in English Literature (Old Dominion University) and Jewish Education (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion). Hebrew Union College has awarded her an honorary doctorate. 9 Lex-Ham Community Theater Since its start in 1995, the Lex-Ham Community Theater has striven to achieve its mission of producing quality theatrical experiences by and for the residents of the Lexington-Hamline and surrounding neighborhoods in St. Paul. The company has enhanced the local theatrical scene by Q Selecting lesser-known works by noted playwrights, such as Soul Gone Home by Langston Hughes, The Vegetable by F. Scott Fitzgerald; and Motomorphosis by Václav Havel. Q Giving the regional and world premieres of works by local authors, such as There’s Talk in Town by John Solensten and Bullets and Beauties by Urban Landreman; Q Reviving wonderful classics such as The Women by Clare Boothe Luce, Under the Gaslight by Augustin Daly, and All My Sons by Arthur Miller; and Q Winning awards for Outstanding Performance by an Actor (Shad Cooper) and Sound Design (David Lind) at the 2003 and 2005 Minnesota Association of Community Theatres Play Festivals. The theater offers many opportunities for people to get involved at any level or time committment. Opportunities range from attending an evening reading of a play written by Shakespeare or which won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama to enrolling in a beginning or advanced acting class. To get involved contact [email protected] or www.LexHamArts.org/theater Upcoming events: July 17 - Shakespeare Reading Series: All’s Well That Ends Well August 6-9 - Pizzazz by Hugh Leonard August 14 - Pulitzer Prize Winner Reading Series: Street Scene by Elmer Rice Czech and Slovak Cultural Center Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota is a non-prot organization serving since 2002 both as resource for Minnesotans interested in Central Europe and as point of contact for people from Czech and Slovak Republics. CSCC develops and sponsors Czech and Slovak symposia, courses, exhibits, literary circles, artists, performing groups and speakers. CSCC also promotes business and cultural relationships between Minnesota and the Czech and Slovak Republics. Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota is afliated with American Sokol, which grew out of an international movement founded in 1862 by Dr. Miroslav Tyrs. We are a social, cultural, educational and gymnastic organization. Through our many social activities and educational programs, we seek to preserve and transmit the vitality of our Czech, Slovak and immigrant heritage to future generations. St. Paul Jewish Community Center Good Samaritan United Methodist Church For nearly 80 years, the Saint Paul JCC’s mission remains to strengthen Greater St. Paul by nurturing physical, intellectual, social and spiritual growth in an inclusive environment dened by Jewish values and culture. We CARE --We are a Christian Community of Acceptance, Reaching out to others and Engaging members in vital ministry. The historic ýesko-Slovanský Podporující Spolek (C.S.P.S.) Hall at 383 Michigan Street in Saint Paul has been our home since its construction in 1887, and the focal point for our activities in Saint Paul. It was declared a National and State Historic Site in 1977, placed on the National Register of Historic Sites, and is the longest serving Czech-Slovak cultural center in the United States. blank slate theatre blank slate theatre is a youth development organization collaborating with artists ages 12 to 18 in producing and performing theatrical productions