Saturday - February 13, 2010 – 7:30 PM

Patriots Theater at The War Memorial
 
1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ 08608
Directly off Route 29 at Memorial Drive In the heart of the Capital District
 

Boheme Opera New Jersey is proud to present a preview of an amazing production making its way to Broadway entitled WARSAW. The creators of the piece have offered to bring its preview to Patriots Theater at the Trenton War Memorial as a benefit for Boheme Opera. Save the date for a compelling evening you will never forget!

WARSAW is an epic musical drama that has a passionate, soaring score with the breathtaking sweep of Les Miserables and the rich harmonic texture of grand opera. This powerful theater piece is a Broadway bound production based on the true heroic story of the Warsaw ghetto fighters who led an uprising against the Nazis in 1943. Their courageous uprising inspired many heroic acts of resistance throughout ghettos and concentration camps of occupied Europe. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the first and largest revolt by Jews during the Holocaust, and a symbol of the indomitableness of the human spirit.

WARSAW follows Roman, a young Jewish man in his 20’s who is trapped inside the Warsaw Ghetto and separated from his beautiful fiancée, Ana. The couple struggles to reunite against overwhelming odds as Roman leads a noble group of resistance fighters battling for their community, families, faith – and their very lives.

This is no dry retelling of history. The writers of WARSAW have created a theatrical event with true vitality and excitement. As we've seen in films such as Schindler's List and The Pianist, it is human connection that turns a history lesson into a transformative event that keeps hold of an audience long after they leave the theater. Response from preview audiences to date confirms that WARSAW is just such a show.
This is a story that must be told and retold to inspire future generations to preserve the memory of the Holocaust. WARSAW will encourage a new generation to learn from the Holocaust and condemn the anti-Semitism, racism, and genocide that is still so prevalent in today’s world. Educational Broadway student matinees are a primary goal of the WARSAW creative team. They are working with organizations to ensure outreach and opportunities to schools that will bring this powerful story to young adults who may not know of the Holocaust and the galvanizing power of tikkun olam ("repairing the world"). Preventing hatred by advocating tolerance and promoting understanding are goals of great importance. WARSAW aims to address these goals head-on with a long-term run on Broadway. There is a bright future for WARSAW on Broadway and beyond, with its capacity to entertain as well as educate.

A Brief History of the Show
WARSAW has been in development for more than a decade now. Its first inception led to an industry reading at Carnegie Hall’s CAMI Hall in 1998. William and John met at the BMI Musical Theater Workshop, and in 2002, they began shaping a new book based on the strengths of the original production. Since then, WARSAW has been presented as part of the Dixon Place Theater Festival at New York’s Makor Center and it was a finalist in the Cardiff Festival for international musical theater. In 2006, it was given a private industry reading at new York’s Studios 353. In 2007, it was awarded a slot in the Developmental Reading Series of the New York musical Theater Festival, where it received rave reviews from Holocaust survivors, educators, and scholars for its sensitive treatment of subject matter and attention to historical accuracy.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, WARSAW was performed to a sold-out staged reading at the museum. The production was presented in conjunction with the special exhibition Daring to Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust. Ultimately, WARSAW strives to teach younger generations about the atrocities of the Holocaust and condemn the ani-Semitism, racism and genocide still prevalent in today’s world. WARSAW’s impact can be developed via a long-term run on Broadway, including educational Broadway student matinees.

*All content copyrighted by WARSAW creators, © 2008