'I Never Saw Another Butterfly'

More than 700 fifth and sixth graders from across Huron County took a step back in history to learn about the Holocaust in "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," a play telling the true story of how a teacher used art, poetry and music to help children cope with life in a Nazi concentration camp. The Spark Theatre 4 Youth production, brought to Huron County by Norwalk Arts Center's Theatre Discovery program, tells the story of Raja, one of the children who survived the Terezin camp. The play is based on a book of drawings and poetry created by the children in the camp. In Terezin, the Nazis tried to deceive International Red Cross inspectors into believing the German government was treating Jews humanely after they had been rounded up and taken from their homes. The Nazis would let the Jews hold concerts and use art supplies for aninspection, then send many of those who participated to Auschwitz and other extermination camps. Of the 144,000 Jews that were sent to Terezin, 88,000 were sent to extermination camps and about 33,000 died at Terezin because of terrible living conditions such as hunger, disease and epidemics. In one scene, Irena, the teacher, directs while children's singing voices are played over a loudspeaker. That music was a recording from the 1940s of the actual voices of the Jewish children in the camp. The drawings used in the play were re-creations of drawings in the book. Jami Brooker, Main Street School drama director, said the play was thought-provoking. "The play was very emotional," she said. "When it ended, many of the students were not sure how to feel or react. It created some great conversations." Students were also impressed with the show. "I thought the show had a very good plot and a really deep meaning," said Tyler Boss, a sixth-grader at Main Street School. "It really showed how horrible the Holocaust was. If I could, I would see it again and it wouldn't get old. It really is amazing what you can do with three actorsand a set piece. I loved it!" "I think the play was great," said Elijah McNutt, a fifth-grader. "I really liked the funny parts, such as 'I got you a sausage.' A part I thought connected to history was when they had to work in the fields because when Adolph Hitler was in control over many countries, he had them do work to survive." Students from Norwalk, Norwalk Catholic, Western Reserve, Bellevue and Immaculate Conception School in Bellevue attended "I Never Saw Another Butterfly." NAC's Theatre Discovery program brings live theater for all students in grades one through six in Huron County and the surrounding area. Spark Theatre creates study guides for each production aligned with Ohio Department of Education standards so teachers can include themes from each show in their lessons both before and after the performances. Third and fourth graders saw "Anansi the Spider and the Middle Passage" last fall. First and second graders can see "Who Ate the Sun?" a new work by Cleveland playwright Erin Dolan, on Friday, May 10. "Who Ate the Sun?" tells the story of a child and animal friends as the neighborhood experiences an eclipse. Rick Hudgel, principal of Main Street School, praised the Theatre Discovery program. He agreed to host the shows this year because NAC's temporary theatre at 22 Main Street is not large enough. "It's such a pleasure for Main Street to host students from all over Huron County," he said. "The Norwalk Arts Center, Spark Theatre, Vanessa (Cook, NAC co-founder) and MaryLisa (Boose, NAC grant/community outreach coordinator) have been incredible to work with and have provided opportunities for students to learn through the arts. These experiences are invaluable." NAC gets funding for Theatre Discovery from the Damian Henning family. Damian Henning was a student at Western Reserve when he took his life in November 2019. Each year, his family holds a memorial race in Wakeman to raise funds to support youth suicide prevention. They donate the funds through the PROSPER Coalition and Huron County Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services.