A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Lebensraum

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  1w, 2m

"Powerful and touching." - The New York Times

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 2m

Details

Summary
Using a cast of three to play forty sharply-drawn characters, this bold work of penetrating intelligence is based on the fanciful, explosive idea that a German Chancellor might, as an act of redemption, invite six million Jews to Germany and promise them citizenship and jobs. A resulting scenario unfolds that explores the effects of the policy on Jews and Gentiles, with widely varying outlooks: an out-of-work Jewish dock worker from Massachusetts who brings his Irish wife and his son to Bremerhaven to start a new life; a survivor of Auschwitz who returns to find the woman who betrayed his family to the Nazis; a young German smitten by a Jewish-American teenage girl; an unemployed German laborer; and scores of others. The actors make quicksilver changes from one character to the next, occasionally using masks or character cutouts to enhance the transformations. The logical progression of this artfully-drawn script raises the terrifying possibility that history may repeat itself.

  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

REVIEWS

"Powerful and touching." - The New York Times

Videos

  • Israel Horovitz on Changing As a Playwright youtube thumbnail

    Israel Horovitz on Changing As a Playwright

  • Israel Horovitz on Short Plays youtube thumbnail

    Israel Horovitz on Short Plays

  • Israel Horovitz on Lebensraum youtube thumbnail

    Israel Horovitz on Lebensraum

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Israel Horovitz

Israel Horovitz (1939-2020) was a playwright, director and actor. His plays have been translated and performed in as many as 30 languages worldwide. His 70+ plays include Line (which ran for 50 years of continuous performance, off-Broadway, at 13th St. Repertory Theatre), The ...

View full profile

Community

Now Playing

Community Experiences