Over 15,000 children passed through the gates of Terezin, a Jewish ghetto during The Holocaust. Fewer than 100 of those children survived. I Never Saw Another Butterfly tells the story of the
children of Terezin through the eyes of Raja Englandrova. Raja narrates and tells their story in
flashbacks as she learns from Irena Synkova, a teacher who gives the children hope when there
is no hope left and gives them the courage to write and draw about their experiences. We see the
world of Terezin through their eyes, a world of laughter, of flowers, and of butterflies. From
behind the barbed wire fences, teachers and students were able to show defiance; by learning
even when it was forbidden, by drawing pictures of life as well as of death, and by writing poems
about something bright and colorful they may have caught a glimpse of. The most famous
symbol of hope was a yellow butterfly from a poem written by Pavel Friedman.
Based on the book I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Poems and Drawings from Terezin
Concentration Camp 1942 - 1944 that was originally published in 1964, Celeste Raspanti creates
a beautiful tribute to the children whose lives were stolen from them during the terrors of the
Holocaust.
This moving production is a collaboration between MHS/MAA Mustang Theatre and New Century Players, and is partially funded by a grant from Clackamas County Cultural Coalition.
ASL Interpreted Performance March 2nd at 7 pm
