Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO, October 28, 2011 – Tarragon Theatre and Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company are proud to present The Children’s Republic, written by Hannah Moscovitch and directed by Alisa Palmer. The Children’s Republic stars Peter Hutt, Kelli Fox, Amy Rutherford, Emma Burke-Kleinman, Katie Cohen, Mark Correia, and Elliot Larson. The show previews November 8, opens November 16 and runs until December 18, 2011 at Tarragon Theatre’s Mainspace. Tickets range from $22-47 (inclusive of HST) and are available by calling the box office at 416-531-1827 or by visiting www.tarragontheatre.com
The Children’s Republic is inspired by the life and philosophies of Dr. Janusz Korczak, (Peter Hutt) a revolutionary champion of children and signatory to the League of Nations' Declaration of the Rights of the Child. In this play, Dr. Korczak runs an orphanage in war-torn Warsaw, where he and Stefa (Kelli Fox) care for children from all walks of life in disheartening conditions. Korczak meets his match in a defiant boy named Israel (Mark Correia). When the orphanage becomes part of the Warsaw ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland, Dr. Korczak’s core values are challenged by terrible circumstances. In the face of looming catastrophe, Israel returns to his teacher the greatest gift of all: courage. The Children’s Republic is a powerful story of beauty, heroism and legacy in a world devoid of freedom and even the necessities of life.
Janusz Korczak was a Jewish-Polish author and pediatrician who ran an orphanage in Poland from 1912 to 1942. Korczak’s philosophy of education centered on teaching children morality, and treating them with respect. “I was interested in showing Janusz Korczak’s progressive philosophies in action,” says Hannah Moscovitch who was commissioned to write his remarkable story by a survivor of the World War II and one of the many orphans in Dr. Korczak’s care, “in the collision of Korczak’s moral pedagogy with the traumatized children he took in off of the streets and, during WWII, with the extreme and demoralizing circumstances of the Warsaw Ghetto.”
“Our playwright-in-residence, Hannah Moscovitch has once again written a stirring portrait of courage in the face of great odds. Hannah brings beauty and complexity to this story of the famous Dr. Janusz Korczak's,” says Richard Rose, Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre. “Korczak’s vision for the individual development of a child and his sacrifice for the members of his orphanage is presented in a most moving way.”
“This important story, about Dr. Janusz Korczak, is one of the reasons we created our theatre company,” explains Harold Green Jewish Theatre Co-artistic Director, David Eisner. “As the only professional Jewish theatre company in Toronto, it is our responsibility and privilege to share such remarkable stories with the world. We feel very proud to partner with the Tarragon Theatre on this production.”
Hannah Moscovitch is currently playwright-in-residence at Tarragon. She is considered one of the strongest young playwriting voices in this country and was nominated for the prestigious international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her works include East of Berlin, Essay and The Russian Play, and more recently the acclaimed SummerWorks production, Little One.
Alisa Palmer is an award-winning playwright and director, and has worked in theatres across the country. Alisa Palmer is former Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre, and is the recipient of six Dora Awards, two Chalmers Awards, the New Brunswick Award for Excellence, and was a Finalist three consecutive times for the Siminovitch Prize for Theatre.
The Children’s Republic
Written by: Hannah Moscovitch
Director: Alisa Palmer
Starring: Emma Burke-Kleinman (Sara), Katie Cohen (Mettye), Mark Correia (Israel), Kelli Fox (Stefa), Peter Hutt (Janusz Korczak), Elliott Larson (Misha), Amy Rutherford (Madame Singer)
Set and Costume Designer: Camellia Koo
Lighting Designer: Kimberly Purtell
Sound Design and Music: John Gzowski
Assistant Director: Kristina Nicoll
Stage Manager: Diane Konkin
2011-10-28
Toronto: Tarragon and Harold Green Jewish Theatre present “The Children’s Republic” opening November 16