The two plays tell stories of courageous resistance in the face of oppression, and sadly this is as relevant as it’s ever been.  We are proud to make the scripts available to educators with the hope of inspiring a new generation to stand up for justice and equality.  On our new Resources for Educators page (see the new navigation link at the top), you can discover how you as an educator might incorporate these play scripts into your curriculum, as well as see the various learning organizations with whom we already have partnerships.

In commemoration of Yom Ha Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a staged reading of selected scenes from Marc P. Smith’s play, Karski, was the focus of a remembrance event on April 15^th, presented by the synagogues of Central Massachusetts and the Jewish Federation of Central Mass. An encouragingly large turnout, with all ages represented, provided a rapt and attentive audience for the powerful story of Jan Karski. This Polish underground hero is referred to as the man who tried to stop the Holocaust; his courage in bearing witness is a story worth re-telling, especially through the immediacy of live theatre.

Among many comments on this evening’s presentation:

“I was so moved by the staged reading of Karski. It served to remind me of the atrocities committed against fellow human beings that we must never be allowed to forget.”     -Pauline Gallant (R.N, Retired School Nurse)

“Karski’s story is heart wrenching and inspiring; it seems unthinkable and beyond believing, even though we now know better. The story revealed in Karski is ancient history to today’s school kids. So it’s imperative to keep alive the truth of it. The past is easily forgotten. We need to be reminded—over and over—forever.”   – Martha M. Hesse (Retired Educator)

Jan Karski

The non-profit organization Facing History and Ourselves, headquartered in Brookline, MA, has made the scripts of A Journey to Kreisau and Karski accessible to their national and international teacher network through this page on their website.

Since this posting, we’ve already received and replied to requests from six educators across the U.S. and in Poland.

In case you’ve not heard of Facing History and Ourselves, a visit to their website should be tremendously interesting. From their website, here is their defining purpose:

To help teachers and students confront the complexities of history in ways that promote critical thinking, academic achievement, and moral development. Facing History uses the tools of education to combat bigotry and nurture democracy.

So it should be no surprise that Facing History staff members who have read Marc’s two scripts feel the plays should definitely be part of the resources the organization makes available to its teachers. That teacher network, incidentally, numbers some 14,000 educators nationally and internationally, largely for students in grades 7 through 12, with a small percentage on faculties of two-year or four-year colleges.

Among the opportunities that educators will have is receiving a copy of one or both of the scripts, for classroom study purposes only. Once a teacher has signed and returned the letter of agreement, I will also sign the letter and send a copy back to the teacher and e-mail the script.  For these classroom study purposes, no royalties will be charged. For any performance(s) of the play, a customized letter of agreement will be drawn up to cover the particulars for that educator’s request (inquire by email).

–Susan L. Smith