City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 1978 Theatre and Drama and the Nazi Concentration Camps Alvin Goldfarb The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3692 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. 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City University of New York, Ph.D., 1978 Theater University Microfilms International , Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 © COPYRIGHT BY ALVIN GOLDFARB 1977 THEATRE AND DRAMA AND THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS by ALVIN GOLDFARB A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Theatre in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York. 1977 This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Theatre in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy. [Signature] , c € m v 2- 2 / (^ ! ~1 date Chairmdn of^xam ining Committee [Signature] date / Executive Officer [Signature] [Signature] Sulpervisory------------------ Committee The City University of New York Abstract THEATRE AND DRAMA AND THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS by Alvin Goldfarb Advisor: Professor Daniel C. Gerould "Theatre and Drama and the Nazi Concentration Camps" analyzes the use of the camps in post-war dramatic literature and in post-war theatrical production. In the Introduction, the history and functions of the internment centers in the Third Reich are discussed. A brief history of actual theatrical activities in the concentration camps is also pre­ sented. In the firs t chapter, entitled "Dramas Set Inside the Concentra­ tion Camps," a number of plays whose dramatic actions are set in the Nazi internment centers are analyzed. These include Charlotte Del bo's Qui Rapportera Ces Paroles?, James Schevill's Cathedral of Ice, Rolf Hochhuth's The Deputy, Peter Barnes' Auschwitz, and Hedda Zinner's Ravensbrucker Ballade. Chapter II, "Dramas Depicting Performance in the Nazi Concentra­ tion Camps," deals with those works which employ the concept of p erfor­ mance in the Reich's internment centers, among which are the Pip Simnons' Group's An Die Musik, the American Jewish Ensemble's The Theatre of Peretz, Alberto Moravia's II dio Kurt, and Ireneusz Iredyfiski's JaseTka- Moderne. In Chapter III, "Dramas of the Survivors," there is a discussion of those works that deal with the lingering effects of the concentra­ tion camps following the fall of the Third Reich. These include Arthur M iller’s After the Fall, Peter Weiss's The Investigation, Yehuda Amichai's Bells and Trains, Tadeusz HoTuj's Puste Pole, and Martin Walser's Eiche und Angora and Per schwarze Schwann. Chapter IV, "Meta­ phorical Representations of the Concentration Camps," is an examination of those theatrical works which do not literally depict the Nazi intern­ ment centers but employ their images to create "a concentration camp aesthetic;" included are Jerzy Grotowski's and Jozef Szajna's Akropolis as well as various productions by Jozef Szajna. Throughout the disser­ tation, various other dramas that deal with the Nazi concentration camps are referred to. There is also an attempt to analyze the theatri­ cal pieces that deal with the Nazi internment centers in relationship to non-dramatic Holocaust literature. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In a very real sense, I view this dissertation as a collaborative venture. A number of people must be thanked, for without their assist­ ance this study would have been s tillb o rn . Len Borger, Jana and Enrico Bazzoni, and Shirley Goldfarb took the time to provide me with excel­ len t translations of key plays. Anna M. Furdyna sent me a copy of her translation o f Jaselka-Moderne. Claudine Q u ic le t, an exchange student at Illinois State University, provided me with plot synopses of Armand Gatti's concentration camp plays. James Schevill made a copy of his report to the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities on Cathedral of Ice available to me; Professor Schevill was also cordial enough to spend some time over dinner discussing his play. Jozef Szajna talked with me about his oeuvre and his camp experiences when his Teatr Studio toured America for the first time in April 1975. Stanley Brechner, director of the American Jewish Ensemble, le n t me his promptbook fo r The Theatre o f Peretz. Peter Barnes permitted me to analyze his as yet unpublished Laughter. After I moved to Illino is, Rita Plotnicki rechecked some of it\y citations in New York libraries. To all of these individuals, I express my heartfelt gratitude. fty advisors have been quite supportive. Professors Stanley Waren and Marvin Seiger provided personal assistance. Professor Daniel Gerould, the chairman of my dissertation committee, has continuously provided advice. Not only has he assisted me in formulating the study, i ii he has directed my attention to a number of the dramatic works analyzed in it. Without his assistance I would have been unable to complete my project. I must also thank my wife Elaine for her understanding and compas­ sion; a husband obsessed with the Nazi concentration camps is not always a pleasant companion. I dedicate this d issertation to my mother, Shirley Goldfarb, and my late father, Martin Goldfarb, both of whom survived, as well as to all of my relatives who were less fortunate and died in the Holocaust. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I . INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the S tu d y ................................................................ 1 History and Functions of the Camps ................................... 4 Theatrical Activities in the Camps ................................... 25 I I . DRAMAS SET INSIDE THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS .... 48 I I I . DRAMAS DEPICTING PERFORMANCE IN THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAM PS................................................... 95 IV. DRAMAS OF THE SURVIVORS................................................................ 137 V. METAPHORICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS............................................................... 185 VI. CONCLUSION.......................................................................................... 218 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................... 233 ' AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT ............................................................................ 248 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Purpose of the Study The purpose of my doctoral dissertation "Theatre and Drama and the Nazi Concentration Camps" is to examine the use o f the camps in post­ war dramatic literature and to analyze the employment of the camps in post-war theatrical productions. I will be discussing the theatrical tech niques employed to recreate dramatically the internment centers, the dramatic functions of the camps within the plays chosen, and the vari­ ous playwrights' (or directors') perceptions of the camp experience. While there have been many works examining Holocaust literature, the drama generally has been overlooked. Such is the case, for example, in two recent studies of Holocaust