Director's Notes from Korczak's Children

 This is the program notes from Korczak's Children. Dad and I wrote it, but several people who's opinions I value really appreciated, so I thought I'd share here too.

We love stories that show the virtues of mankind in the face of adversity and overwhelming circumstances. When a hero is exemplary in their care for others even to the point of death, we are inspired by their unselfish commitment and compassion. It is all the more powerful when that story is true.

Tonight’s performance is the true story of Dr. Janusz Korczak, a Polish, Jewish pediatrician, educator, children's author and pedagogue. He operated orphanages during the German occupation of Poland during WWII. 350,000 Jews in were confined to a “Jewish Ghetto” surrounded by fences and barbed wire.

This reminds us of the history of the Jewish people, one of abuse, imprisonment, slavery, and death. One goal in our retelling of this part of history is to quell the rise of antisemitism by remembering the tragic events surrounding the Holocaust and combat the rewriting of history so that our young people believe this quote by George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher and writer: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

But the point of remembering is not to look back. The point is to gather truth, beauty, and hope for moving forward. By remembering Korczak, we want to inspire you to become people like him, ready to value each individual you encounter, no matter what age, race, or gender they are. We want to encourage you to make the world a better place by doing what is right, even if you never see the results of your work. We want to show you that living for the benefit of others, even to the point of sacrificing our comfort, money, and sometimes even our lives, is imitating another Jewish man, who gave up his life as an atonement for our sins, giving all who will follow Him the name “Children of God.”

Korczak's Children

 I don't have any performance pictures yet, but last weekend we completed our most recent play. This year, Dad directed and I helped with costuming, volunteer coordination, and that sort of detail. This was a different position than I have ever had before, so it was a good learning experience.

First, the play is terribly sad. It is about the final days of Dr. Janusz Korczak's orphanage, leading to their deportation to Treblinka. Although he is given the opportunity to leave safely, he stays with his children, teaching them about death and courage. I couldn't read sections of the play without crying until performance week. And then, I think it was only because I was thinking of all the details of managing entrances, painting on a black eye, cuing up some music, and last minute costume changes that I didn't really think about what was happening on stage.

Second, Eamon played the role of a smuggler. He only had one scene, so he got a taste of backstage details, like setting the stage and providing some sound effects. He got to be on stage with his brother and a our old neighbor, so they had to all work very hard at not laughing. He brought a good sense of timing, reactions and energy, and confidence that helped the other actors on stage with him. I loved listening to the flow of his scene.

Third, Malcolm played the role of the smuggler's apprentice, who stays in the orphanage for a night or two, causing all sorts of trouble. He got to punch a kid, deliver several important one-liners, and play the villain in the play within the play. He also had to work on not laughing, but enjoyed every minute of playing the "crook." He had confidence and energy that brought out the best in his fellow actors. In the words of one audience member, "He killed it."

Fourth, I loved all the cast. It was a large cast and crew, about 55 students, from second grade to twelfth grade. There were some who drove me crazy. There were some who needed "extra guidance." But all of them are such wonderful kids. Not only did they have a lot of acting potential, they also were delightful to get to know, to hear their struggles and joys, to listen and sometimes answer their questions, to give them encouragement and, hopefully, wisdom that will help them not only in performances but in life. Several of my previous cast members would greet me with a hug, which set the tone for my interactions with all the rest. I was delighted when a little second grader randomly gave me a hug. And so proud to see our senior step into her role of orphanage matron.

Fifth, I began to get to know their parents and families. I learned how to communicate better with large groups of people, by maintaining personal connection and providing specific tasks or information. I struggled to edit every bit of information into as few words as possible, but got a 85% volunteer rate from the parents and families.

Sixth, a major head cold went around the cast. We didn't have a performance with the entire cast present, but we never lost a major role either. There was at least one kid who performed with a fever, sucking on cough drops in between scenes, but would not go home because he knew he was important to the play. And on the final performance, I wouldn't let one of the little girls go on for her final scene because she was so miserable, but she didn't want to leave the backstage either to go sit with her parents. My family was spared during performance week, but Malcolm started being stuffy Sunday night, and was pretty miserable today after developing an ear infection. He is on antibiotics now, so hopefully he will bounce back quickly, and fortunately the cold has not negatively affected his impression of theater. He can't wait until we do another one.

Finally, the thing I said the most to nervous students was something I was learning (again) myself. We have to do our part, then we leave the rest in God's hands. If I looked at the tangible record, this play shouldn't have happened. We hadn't performed the entire play straight through until opening night. Lines weren't memorized. Entrances were spotty. Scenes started before the scene changes were complete. We skipped scenes, dropped lines, made too much noise backstage, etc. It should have been terrible. But it wasn't. We did our best. We prayed a lot. We worked and worked and worked. We gave it to God. And He blessed the work of our hands. Parents were proud of their kids. The audience was moved to tears. We received so much positive feedback, and people who had only been planning on attending once, came back to see it again. We must give thanks to God because He was the one who made it work.

What an Show!

Big Big Train 

Greg Spawton

 

Thomas has enjoyed the British progressive rock band Big Big Train for years. Although I find most of prog rock to be too smart for me, I do enjoy Big Big Train. They have melodic themes that I can understand, and the complex musical parts that I can't grasp, still create mental and mood pictures that are very beautiful. 

The band was going to come in 2020, just in time for Thomas and I to go to a concert as a trip for our 15th anniversary. Unfortunately, like so many things, it was cancelled due to Covid. Now four years later, Big Big Train have been able to plan another trip to the US. This time, we decided to take the boys so we could all share the experience of our first rock concert.

 What an amazing show! I had to turn off my theater brain every now and again, especially when I wanted to see their facial expressions, but their hair got in their faces. The lights occasionally seemed behind or reactionary. The stage movement and switching instruments seemed planned but was not always smooth. But I feel silly for noticing such nuances. Those things go with performing on multiple stages, and after I reminded myself I know nothing about shows of this sort, I enjoyed watching the differences between theater staging and concert performance.

Clare Lindley

The music was phenomenal. Sometimes I felt like I was a child listening in on a complex philosophical conversation that I could only pick up phrases but will shape my future understanding. Sometimes I was lost in an underwater world, or listening to the inside of a giant machine, or racing over rolling countrysides. Other times I was listening to life stories around a fire or at a table covered with food and drink.

Yet, as a mother, I could not completely lose myself in the music. There was part of me that was always watching for my children's reactions and needs. Are they too tired? Is it too much for them? Are they doing okay? But I shouldn't have worried; they were enjoying everything, except for when the spot lights shown in their eyes. They recognized more of the songs than I did, and though they were overwhelmed by everything, it was a good sort of being overwhelmed. 

 

Nick D'Virgilio

After much coaxing, Malcolm said, "I was happy I was there and listening to music. It was like an explosion of wonder and excitement and t-shirts (Thomas got each boy t-shirt, like his). I got to see them close up, not like a video. And I got to stay up late." 

Eamon wrote the following about his time. "Big Big Train started with one of their biggest hits, Folklore. They went on to play The First Rebreather, A Boy in Darkness, A Mead Hall in Winter, Apollo, and many others. After that, we met some of the musicians including Nick DiVirgilio! It as a great time." 

As Eamon mentioned, after the show, we were able to talk to several of the band members. They seemed like they were the type of people it would be fun to actually sit down with. We also appreciated that several of them took the time to talk specifically to the boys.