This March, Gorham High School (GHS) is putting on a one act play called, The Terezin Promise. The play is set during World War II era at a camp called Terezin located in the now Czech Republic. A group of teenagers have vowed to save all the art they have made before the Nazi’s destroyed evidence of Jewish life. The play is a very motivational piece about survival and hope.
Actress Amelia Olaru says, “Although Terezin was a very terrifying place it shows the world that people found beauty in the ugliness. Terezin wasn’t a concentration camp where people were sent to death, it was a camp full of artists and musicians who taught others their craft.
We can now see pieces of art hung up in museums showing that although this war was traumatic and separated so many families, people continued to find the good. It truly goes to show how much art can do for people. These pieces show us, and future generations, that art is carried on through time and will always be here to show humans the beauty of life even in the worst of times.”
The Terezin Promise is inspired by a true story. Students working on the play have also commented that the play has been challenging to connect with characters from this time period who have gone through so many traumatic events.
Zackary Waters, another actor in the one-act play comments, “My hope for the play is that we do the people that we are portraying justice, and share an authentic story and interpretation of history of the people in the Terezin ghetto.”
The show does not have a set date yet but will run in March of this year and compete in the State of Maine Regional One-Act Festival.