The Last Rat of Theresienstadt is one woman’s struggle to survive during the Holocaust. The play incorporates the song lyrics, visual art and poetry that was produced by the many prominent artists imprisoned in the “Ghetto Town” of Terezín, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, also known by the German name Theresienstadt.

The show opens with an audacious performance by the “acclaimed,” Sofia Brünn, a fictional singer/comedienne, in a 1930’s Weimar Cabaret. We follow her as she is deported from Berlin to Theresienstadt where she is forced to work in the camp kitchen. Imprisoned, Sofia has lost everything and with it, her will to live. There, she meets a scrappy rat named Pavel. The other rats have left the town for lack of food, but Pavel stays behind, drawn to the performances in the camp. He desperately needs her to sing again for his own will to live. She is repulsed by him and he, in turn, blurts out insults he has over heard describing Jews. Over time they befriend each other and bond over their love of the cabaret.

The play explores how humor and art can heal and create resilience in the face of adversity. Pavel is, in fact, a figment of Sofia’s imagination, the part of her buried deep inside that wants to fight back. Ironically, her imagination has created an alter ego in the very form of the hated rodent species that the Nazis compared to Jews. While the subject matter is the Holocaust, whose victims we honor through remembrance of that time, our themes are very relevant today, with anti-Semitism on the rise and bigotry and racism creating chasms between people struggling to live as neighbors in countries all over the world.

This is a story of prejudice and oppression juxtaposed against survival, joy and the will to feed both body and soul. It’s a story of humor, art and a rat who is forever changed

This show is part of the Johnson Hall “On the Road Series” and takes place off -site from Johnson Hall while our theater undergoes a full renovation.

Location-Cumston Hall-796 Main St, Monmouth, ME 04259

THIS LOCATION IS HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE.

FAQs

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

Parking is available at this locationContact our box office at 207-582-7144 Tuesday through Friday noon to 3:00pm, and day of show from 5:00pm on.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?