Can You Hear Them Crying?

A sequel to Children of the Holocaust, this one-act is a tribute to the thousands of children that did not survive their imprisonment at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Of the 15,000 children who were sent to the camp, only 100 survived. The narrative features translations of actual stories and poems written by the lost children.
Format: One-act drama
Cast Size:4M/11F
Running Time: 30–45 minutes
Character breakdown:

Alena Synkova
Alesa (Alexander)
Alicia (Pavel)
Butterfly Dancers (male or female)
Ela (Peter)
Elizabeth Spiegel
Ellen (Noah)
Eva Pickova
Franta Bass (male or female)
Friedl Dicher-Brandeis
Helka
Liliane
Lizea
Nina (Gideon)
Ruth
Sarah Spiegel

Notes:

See also Voices: Plays for Studying the Holocaust, Janet E. Rubin (Scarecrow Press, 1999), a compilation of eight plays, including Can You Hear Them Crying?, along with related activities and resources for upper elementary, middle and high school students.

Snapshot

Original or Prominent Production:
Originally produced by the Color Performance Theatre at Carrollwood Playhouse, Tampa, Florida, November 1994.
Original Source Material: Inspired by the book, I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942–1944, Hana Volavkova (editor).
Nationality of Author: U.S.
Original Language: English
Publisher:

Originally published by Meriwether Publishing
Pioneer Drama Service

Production Rights Holder:

Pioneer Drama Service

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