Summer 1942, the Warsaw Jewish ghetto. An orphanage crammed with 200 near-starving Polish children is under the supervision of Dr Korczak. To step outside the ghetto walls is to be shot on sight by German soldiers. Such is the bare bones of this hard-hitting play. The doctor, portrayed with engaging humanity by Gary Meredith, begs food where he can from other Jews and strives to instil a community spirit among his young charges. Self-belief and respect for the rights of all, honesty and morality are his guiding principles.
The underlying strength of Jain Boon’s admirable documentary-style production is that this is a true story. The experiences of the children are focused into two fictional youngsters, projected with real dramatic force by Lizzie Rogan and Daniel Wallace, who also assume a whole parade of effective characters. With almost unbearable inevitability, the children, led by the doctor, are marched away to a promised “better camp in the fresh air of the countryside”, every single one to be murdered by the Nazis. Yet from this welter of inhumanity emerges the upbeat message that the good doctor’s principles, as stated in his diary discovered after the war, sowed the seeds for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Set and costumes are designed by Georgina Miles, with music directed by Lucy Rivers.
Based at Abergavenny’s Melville Theatre and celebrating its 30th anniversary, Gwent Theatre is part of a Wales-wide network of eight Theatre in Education companies funded by the Arts Council of Wales and local authorities. Dr Korczak’s Example tours secondary schools.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Content is copyright © 2012 The Stage Media Company Limited unless otherwise stated.
All RSS feeds are published for personal, non-commercial use. (What’s RSS?)
