The history of Auschwitz is a difficult topic - emotionally and otherwise. What was - on a personal level - the inspiration for you, as a young writer and a young woman, to dedicate the play to a story about the Holocaust?
I remember learning about the Holocaust at a young age; I believe I was around nine years old when I first came across a book where there were horrific images of the concentration camps. That was my first ever encounter with it. After that, it was in history lessons during school and I could never get my head around the fact that this happened (and still can't to this day) . That this isn't a made up story, it is history. That human beings did this to other human beings. I am not a Jew, nor am I a German: I am a young woman who believes in the kindness of strangers and peace amongst us all, so to learn in depth as I have been these past few months on the history and political side of it all has been very interesting to me.
I believe that in life you have to experience everything, though we cannot live long enough to experience everything all at once so we must learn from others. At nine years old, even at fifteen years old, I did not understand the depths of it all, whereas now at 27 years old I can understand it much better. These horrific events took place and mass murder on this scale was caused by man and therefore I wanted to explore all the questions I never got a chance to ask. I don't believe it is ever too late to learn about the history of the world. I believe it is important and we should never forget. Therefore I wrote a play, with its main purpose to educate and to remind audiences that we should never forget that the Holocaust happened, but to serve as a reminder that this should never be allowed to happen again.
Who are Nikolai and Anya, the characters in the play? The history that viewers will follow starts before Auschwitz.
'Anya' represents the spirit of the Jews, the fight for freedom, the determination and strength to survive and the hope that was never lost. Her character's journey from living in the Krakow Ghetto to arriving in Auschwitz represents the young woman that she is and, like many young prisoners, doing what they had to do in order to survive. 'Nikolai' represents the innocence of it all. A young boy who is separated from his father, and how he becomes dependent on the friendship of Anya in order to keep his hope alive and, of course, himself.
You do not tell an individual story, but it is
all based on true events. What sources and personal stories were you using to build those characters?
The play is based on true events and inspired by the stories of Holocaust survivors. One particular Holocaust survivor is Kitty Hart-Moxon whose story inspired me so much. Her journey throughout her time in Auschwitz was fascinating to hear. I came across her documentary "Return to Auschwitz" on YouTube and it allowed me to see what she saw,
Liam Wadsworth as Nikolai
Nathalie Bazan