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The Escape Act: A Holocaust Memoir (2019-2022)
A touring one-person show based on the life of Irene Danner. A Jewish acrobat, Irene witnessed the rise of the Nazi Party as a teenager and survived the Holocaust hiding at a German circus. In this feat of dynamic physical storytelling, using puppetry, aerial acrobatics & rare archival footage, Stav Meishar, a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, charts Irene's life from youth to epic escape, and the budding of a new circus family. Blending past and present through the intertwining voices of storyteller and heroine; this stirring work is a powerful reminder of the positive impact courageous acts can have for generations to come. |
The Escape Act is the accumulating result of over seven years of historic research, challenging audiences to examine questions of empathy, antisemitism and multigenerational-trauma.
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"An extraordinary work of dramatic story telling, Told with enormous wit and charm... If this performance comes to a space near you, I urge you to go see it." ★★★★ - Plays to See, UK |
"Wonderful, brave theatre, a fascinating and moving telling of a powerful story.... Circus like I have never seen it before!" - Audience Member, Jacksons Lane |
"A truly unique way of telling a heart-breaking Holocaust story... A strikingly beautiful piece of acrobatic theatre..." ★★★★ - The Spy in the Stalls, UK |
Touring History:
Staged Reading, Spring 2017: 14th Street Y (New York, USA)|
World Premiere, Summer 2019: TransFolk Kucku Festival (Loviisa, Finland)|
Autumn 2019 UK tour: Jacksons Lane (London), Circomedia (Bristol), CircusMASH (Birmingham), The Lowry (Salford)|
Autumn 2019 Germany: Special performance at the Pfungstadt Synaogue on the anniversary of Kristallnacht|
Spring 2022 UK tour: Proteus Theatre (Basingstoke), Cornerstone Arts Centre (Didcot), Lighthouse (Poole), Prema Art Centre (Uley), The North Wall (Oxford)|
Summer 2022: Kensington & Chelsea Festival Selection at The Chelsea Theatre (London, UK)|
Staged Reading, Spring 2017: 14th Street Y (New York, USA)|
World Premiere, Summer 2019: TransFolk Kucku Festival (Loviisa, Finland)|
Autumn 2019 UK tour: Jacksons Lane (London), Circomedia (Bristol), CircusMASH (Birmingham), The Lowry (Salford)|
Autumn 2019 Germany: Special performance at the Pfungstadt Synaogue on the anniversary of Kristallnacht|
Spring 2022 UK tour: Proteus Theatre (Basingstoke), Cornerstone Arts Centre (Didcot), Lighthouse (Poole), Prema Art Centre (Uley), The North Wall (Oxford)|
Summer 2022: Kensington & Chelsea Festival Selection at The Chelsea Theatre (London, UK)|
