Student play examines the Holocaust in new context

A five-show run of TheatreUNCA’s only student-directed stage production “And a Child Shall Lead” begins this week.

Virginia Aughe and Sam Woods, seniors at UNCA, are directing their first TheatreUNCA show. They directed an independent student production last semester, and the drama faculty approached them about directing a main stage production. They chose the show they wanted to direct.

Both Aughe and Woods agreed the reason they picked “And a Child Shall Lead” is because of its significant social meaning.

“One of the reasons that we’ve picked this show is because it has so much learning involved with it,” Woods said. “Everyone had an opportunity to grow, from the cast to the designers. It’s not just a show about the Holocaust. It’s about bringing the art, humanity and beauty through the horrors of war.”

“And a Child Shall Lead” tells the story of children coming of age in Terezin, the Nazi-created Jewish establishment that functioned as a death camp way station. The children of the camp bond through their artistic expression, from music to poetry, to keep hope alive among themselves.

With 11 cast members, the directors said they approached the rehearsal process in a fair, open and collaborative way.

“We started out with a collaborative effort, but we had it be where we came up with blocking together and it be very organic. We quickly learned that it just took a lot of time,” Woods said. “This group of actors wanted more direction, so we started giving them more structured rehearsals and blocking.”

During the process, Aughe said they created an open forum called “Pro-effectis” so the actors and designers could voice their opinions about the process.

“Once a week, for 30 minutes, we can talk about what’s working, what’s not and how to make the process run a little more smoothly as far as knowing what they need and what we need,” Aughe said.

When approaching the acting, Aughe said they focused heavily on character development.

“We would ask them why they would make the decisions they’re making, why they’re standing where they’re standing and who they are as individuals,” Aughe said. “It seemed to help them as far as motivation.”

Sophomore Garrett Funk, an actor in the show, said the rehearsal process was comfortable and both directors were open to new ideas.

“I always felt like I could express my ideas, and they were taken into account,” Funk said. “I felt that they kept good focus, since they’re so much younger than most mainstage directors. It was a very fun experience overall, one I wouldn’t mind repeating.”

When approaching his character, he said he always starts with the general aspects of the show.

“It is a show about children, so the first thing I tried to do was act younger,” Funk said. “I’m a very physical actor, so I drastically changed my physicalization to capture the youth and innocence.”

“As far as the situation they were in, it helped me to do outside research of the period and what the children had to go through, and knowing the conditions they had to go through to portray that to a modern audience,” he said.

According to costume designer Danielle Stanley, a senior, working with Aughe and Woods was collaborative and communicative. In creating her designs, Stanley said once she read the play she started looking at clothing and colors that would fit with the piece.

“I looked at what colors each character would have and the relationship with the characters. Then, I went and researched different Holocaust camps, particularly how the children looked, so I could see what style of clothing they were wearing,” Stanley said. “I took a combination of the color scheme, the relationships from the play and the research, then designed the costumes based on that.”

When talking about the show, both Aughe and Woods said they want the audience to get a sense of hope and awareness of the Holocaust.

“It’s not just about the horrible things people had to go through; it’s about the greatness of society, and how even though these children weren’t adults, they still had these horrible things to go through yet they painted, played music, played games and kept their minds alive during it when there was such an incredible thing to deal with,” Woods said.

“I’d like for them to get a sense of hope and common humanity. It’s a historical play, and so it’s brought to question of how it’s related to today, and we’re in the middle of a war, the economy’s suffering-everyone has individual problems,” Aughe said.

“This goes to show that no matter what, there’s a way to go on, and there’s a way to make life beautiful and worth participating in. It’s the overarching sense that, ‘Hey, it’s going to be OK and we can get through this together.’”

Admission is $10 general and $5 for students and runs Wednesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For more information, go to www.unca.edu/drama or call (828) 251-6610.

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