Tags: Germaine Tillion

In the Underworld

An English language production of the operetta Germaine Tillion secretly wrote of her experiences while in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. A dark comedy that focuses on life in the camp for its female prisoners.

Une opérette à Ravensbrück: Le Verfügbar aux Enfers

During World War II, Germaine Tillion became one of the leading commanders in the French Resistance. She was arrested in 1942 and sent to the German concentration camp of Ravensbrück. While there, she secretly wrote this dark comedy as a way to entertain her fellow prisoners. Choosing to laugh at the experience was not only an act of defiance, but a way to feel human and alive in the face of degradation. Tillion was reluctant to have the work published for fear that people would not understand her humor during such tragic circumstances.