By STEVEN MURREY
Manging Editor
smurrey@cherryroad.com
The Duck Creek Players will present “And a Child Shall Lead,” an inspirational yet harrowing tale written by Michael Slade about a group of young children who start an underground newspaper while living in a camp during the Holocaust. The play will be held at the Historic Elwood Opera House on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Directed by Lydia Doss and Bill Smith, the play features a cast of actors ranging in age from eight to sixteen. The story is based on true events of children facing brutality during the Holocaust. The cast includes Elijah Burris as Miroslav, Ellie Henegar as Eva, Lukas Carmack as Pavel, Tabby Walters as Gabriela, John Watson as Erik, Brynlee Henegar as Jana, Kate Minnich as Alena, and Aaron Wood as Martin. Shadow Soldiers are played by Alivia Rexford, Lydia Fitzgerald, Samantha Peterson, Keira Doss, and Adley Henegar.
Set thirty miles outside of Prague in the city of Terezin, described by the Nazis as a “Jewish ghetto” and makeshift way station for millions of people awaiting transfer to death camps, the play depicts a group of courageous children who create stories, music, poetry, drawings, plays, puppets, and even an underground newspaper to craft a dream world of hope and beauty in a place where neither exist. Incorporating actual poems and other writings recovered from Terezin after the war, this play explores the strength, optimism, and extraordinary resilience at the core of the human spirit.
Co-director Bill Smith said the show tells the story of children who tried to keep their hopes alive through art.
“They’d do performances, they’d write poems, write songs, perform music, do paintings—anything artistic to shine some light in a very dark place,” said Smith.
“This is a play for adults, or children mature enough to handle such a heavy theme like the Holocaust,” Smith continued. “It’s an unusual show. Normally if we have an all-child cast, you would think it’s a children’s show, but that’s not the case here.”
Smith mentioned that in the tradition of the Duck Creek Center for the Arts, the Duck Creek Players occasionally perform shows that highlight the need to fight against racism and bigotry. In the past, the troupe has put on shows such as “12 Angry Men,” “12 Angry Women,” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Smith said he hopes “And a Child Shall Lead” can help offset the rise of anti-Semitism that has happened around the world as a result of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these kids,” said Smith. “In performing these roles, it’s also been a bit of a stressful time. They’re having to deal with emotionally taxing subject matter.”
Smith said that at every practice, the kids break up the heavy subject matter with activities, art, and games. One such activity included having the cast reproduce works of art from Terezin and explain what they believe the original child artists felt while making the pieces. Smith said Duck Creek Center for the Arts also aims to serve as an educational forum for those involved.
“Every show we do, we are either teaching new actors the craft of acting, sound, lighting, set building, hair, makeup—everything involved in a theatrical production,” Smith said. “My co-director, Lydia Doss, is a 17-year-old with more experience than some adults. She has done a phenomenal job as my co-director.”
Smith said the show has some funny moments but is mostly a real tearjerker.
“Without betraying the end of the show, it accurately reflects what happened in Terezin,” Smith stated.
Though a number of tickets have already been sold, seats remain available for all three shows. Performances will be at the Elwood Opera House on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at duckcreekcenter.com for $10.
