The Jewish Theatre of Bloomington presents Wendy Graf's Leipzig. The Midwest premiere will be directed in a choreographed staged reading by the plays original director Deborah La Vine. Playwright Wendy Graf will be in residence for the production and will lead the talk back on opening night. WFIU's George Walker talked with director Deborah La Vine.
Leipzig explores the journey of a Catholic family that discovers that their grandmother is Jewish and was a child refugee from the holocaust. "Yes, it's a story of the impact on the second generation. There are endless stories about what was in essence an effort to save people. But, with the war over and life going on the stories came back to haunt and effect both the survivors and their offspring."
"It's a contemporary issue that dramatized in part with the more recent concern about Alzheimer's. It's a good metaphor for that layer of the secret about what we say we know and what we know. And as the truth unfolds, wills out, it's a very freeing moment. "
"We'll be working on the production under severe time constraints. But we will have time to discover the characters and put them in space. We'll have a minimal set as Leipzig takes place in different spaces and overlapping times. How much movement we'll have will depend on what we can do. Actors will have their books in hand, but I have a good sense that they'll have and be able to communicate who they are."
"One of the things that Leipzig will do is to dramatize how much stress lies put into relationships. How they can corrupt our lives and poison them. What this play can do is to allow the audience a sense of catharsis and a faith that honesty indeed is a very liberating and positive experience.
Leipzig by Wendy Graf
Directed by Deborah La Vine
Jewish Theatre of Bloomington
Bloomington Playwrights Project Theatre
Evenings April 15, 17 and matinee April 18