“Antigone in Munich: the Sophie Scholl Story” opens Thursday night

The GHS Theatre Program is travelling back to the 1940s to tell a story of power and perseverance in the face of struggle. “Antigone In Munich: The Sophie Scholl Story” by Claudia Haas follows the life and story of Sophie Scholl, a member of the White Rose Society during World War II. 

The White Rose Society was an anti-war group created by students at the University of Munich in Germany. The group wrote and distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets throughout the war. The group consisted of Hans Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst. They were supported by other German students, as well as professors at the University of Munich. 

“It [the show] is different in many ways but the most prominent one is that these are real people, they aren’t made-up characters. Something that’s a lot different is the dialogue. A lot of our lines are direct quotes from the pamphlets that have been translated from German to English, so they’re really hard to memorize.” said senior Emily Frick.

In total, six leaflets were copied and distributed all across Europe, in total about 15,000 pamphlets spread the White Rose Society’s message. The group also spread graffiti over the walls of the University of Munich with phrases such as; “Down with Hitler” and “Freedom.” The pamphlets contained messages of the Third Reich, Hitler, and the Nazi Party.

The White Rose Society called upon the German people to stand up against the Nazis and take down Hitler. The members of the White Rose Society were eventually captured by the Gestapo and arrested. In 1943 they were put on trial for treason against the Third Reich. 

The play consists of a back and forth between Sophie Scholl’s interrogation with a Nazi officer, and flashbacks of her life leading up to that point. Interrogation Sophie is played by senior Emily Grace, and Flashback Sophie is played by Isabella Giordano.  The small cast of only fifteen actors work hard to tell this story cohesively. 

“It definitely makes the connections between the actors a lot stronger because you have to act as though you have a closer relationship to the actor. So I’ve gotten to know at least three new people that I didn’t know at all before the show just from being in it.” said AJ Porcello

The show is largely student-run with a full production team taking responsibility roles for different aspects of putting the show together. The set is built entirely by the students, and many of the costumes were hand-made by the costume team. 

IF YOU GO:

WHAT? Antigone In Munich

WHEN? Thursday November 21st 7:00pm, Friday November 22nd 7:00pm, Saturday November 23rd 1:00pm matinee & 7:00pm evening show. 

WHERE? GHS Putney Auditorium

HOW MUCH? Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, staff and seniors.

You can buy tickets online at: 

https://gloucesterhighdrama.blogspot.com/p/purchase-tickets.html

The production team is: 

Stage Manager …………….. Laura Ryan

Assist. Stage Manager ….. Shannon Connolly

Set Design …………………… Madeline Gossom

Assist. Set Design ………… Frank Bartholomew

Costume Design ………….. Isabella Giordano

Assist. Costume Design … Tessa Bushfield, Massimo Mogetta

Lighting Design …………… Emily Palk

Sound Design ……………… Ky O’Neil

Prop Master …………………      Meagan Gallo

Hair & Makeup Design …. Isabel White

The rest of the cast is:

Mohr …………………………………….. Colby Laing

Luisa …………………………………….. Clara Del Vecchio

Fritz ……………………………………… AJ Porcello

Elisabeth ……………………………….. Madison Kolterjahn

Elsa ………………………………………. Tessa Bushfield

Alex ………………………………………. Nathaniel Oaks

Traute …………………………………… Emily Frick

Hans ……………………………………… Frank Bartholomew

Willi ………………………………………. Tyler Weed

Anneliese ………………………………. Meagan Gallo

Judge …………………………………….. Seamus Buckley

German Citizen 1 ……………………. Isabel White

German Citizen 2 ……………………. Haley Weed