The College of Southern Marylands Theatre Company presents its cast for the production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly, a play by Celeste Raspanti and produced by special arrangement with the Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Ill.
More than 15,000 children passed through Terezin, and only about 100 were still alive when Terezin was liberated at the end of the war. One of the survivors, Raja, having lived through it all, taught the children when there was nothing to teach with, hoping to give them hope when there was little enough reason for hope, creating a little world of laughter, of flowers and butterflies behind the barbed wire. I Never Saw Another Butterfly tells the true story of the children. There were no actual butterflies at Terezin, but for the children, the butterflies became a symbol of defiance, making it possible for them to live on and play happily while waiting to be transported.
CSMs cast includes Aimee Bonnet of White Plains as Irena Synkova; Alexis Miller of Crofton as Renka; Emmeline Jones of Mechanicsville as Raja Englanderova; Kendall Garton of Hollywood as Vera; Reed Grubbs of Piney Point as Child; Robert Hamilton of Marbury as Pavel; Charles Long of Upper Marlboro as Rabbi; Alex LaClair as Loudspeaker and Ken LaClair as Father, both of La Plata; Brandi Kirkham as Erika, Jessi Kirkham as Irca, Paula Kirkham as Mother, Shad Kirkham and Sydni Kirkham, both as Child, all of Waldorf.
Performances are at 8 p.m., Feb. 14 through 16 and 21 through 23, at the College of Southern Maryland, Fine Arts (FA) Center, Theater, 8730 Mitchell Road, La Plata. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 seniors, military members with ID and youth in high school or younger. For reservations contact bxoffc@csmd.edu, 301-934-7828, or http://www.csmd.edu/arts.