SURVIVORS, a play by Deborah R. Layman
SURVIVORS was commissioned by Red Mountain Theatre as part of its Human Rights New Works Festival. It is based on the true stories of local Holocaust survivors. Historian Yehuda Bauer has said, “Events happen because they are possible. If they were possible once, they are possible again. In that sense, the Holocaust is not unique, but a warning for the future.” Set in a racially diverse, contemporary high school classroom, Survivors explores the parallels between the past and the present, with the Holocaust stories serving as object lessons about the consequences of hate. As the slippery slope of prejudice and intolerance is examined in the classroom, we see the power of personal stories to bring understanding and change attitudes.