Resident Ensemble Players present engrossing play by Juan Mayorga

9:50 a.m., April 28, 2011--The University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players (REP) open the final production of the 2010-2011 season on Friday, April 29, with the regional premiere of the engrossing and menacing Way to Heaven (Himmelweg), inspired by the true story of the elaborate deception that took place at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1944 Germany.

In order to fool international Red Cross inspectors, the Nazis constructed a fake village to quell extermination rumors. Juan Mayorga’s startlingly original play begins with the reminiscences of an inspector assigned to evaluate this “village.”

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The story then leaps back in time to show the creation and rehearsal of a very unusual and disturbing deceit, one in which the Jewish prisoners are assigned roles and given lines to perform to convince visitors of their peaceful and happy existence.

Perception, rhetoric and theatre itself are among Mayorga’s themes. The director, Matthew Earnest, says, “Juan told me that he didn’t believe it was really possible for anyone to give voice to the dead. He said that the best we can do for their memory would be to try to hear the silence occupying the space where they once stood.”

Memory is the least reliable thing in the world, says Earnest. “That’s one reason we go to the theatre. To remember.”

Performances are held in the Hartshorn Theatre in Hartshorn Hall and run from Friday, April 29, through Saturday, May 14, with a preview performance on Thursday, April 28. Tickets are $16-$20 for the general public. 

Discounts are available for students, seniors and UD faculty and staff. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets, call the box office at 302-831-2204, or visit the REP website.

Performances are schedule at 7:30 p.m. on April 28, 29, 30 and May 10, 11, and 14; and at 2 p.m. on April 30 and May 1 and 7. There is a 7 p.m. performance on Sunday, May 1.

The REP Prologue, a free and informal 20-minute presentation about the production, will be held at 1:15 p.m., prior to the matinee performance on May 7. A talk-back with the cast will be held after the evening performance on May 11.

The Hartshorn Theatre is located in Hartshorn Hall at 540 Academy Street, on the corner of Academy Street and East Park Place, on the UD campus in Newark. Parking is available in the Perkins Student Center Garage, accessible off of Academy Street.

Photos by Paul Cerro