Two Remain is an opera based, in part, on two survivors of Auschwitz: Krystyna Zywulska, a Polish dissident, author and lyricist, and Gad Beck, a Jewish homosexual. Together they relive the horrors of Nazi brutality. The opera, with music by Jake Heggie and libretto by Gene Scheer, will be performed Dec 13, 14 and 15 at the Provincetown Playhouse.
Dianna Heldman, Associate Director of Applied Voice in Steinhardt’s Vocal Performance program, is directing the opera. Here, she shares how her students handle performing emotionally charged material, and why it is important to do this show now.
I chose Two Remain because I found it incredibly well-crafted. It started out as a song cycle and then evolved into this two-act opera. These stories are difficult. I think we've become a society that has sort of decided we're going to insulate ourselves and be very choosy about what we pay attention to and what we don't pay attention to.
I think, given the current state of the world, sometimes facing these difficulties is the only way we can find peace or logic. And we are constantly in search of logic as human beings. When I looked at Two Remain, it spoke to me in a variety of capacities. It's an extraordinary piece of art, but also as a human being and teacher, it made me think.
I knew that this might be difficult for students, but every actor encounters material that is very different from who they are, or may pose issues that cause them discomfort or to question, and that's part of being a performer. You can say no, I choose not to do this, and that's the right of any performer. But I think sometimes when you walk into something that challenges you, you learn a lot. Asking young performers to inhabit characters that survived and didn't survive the holocaust, is quite an undertaking.
None of these students have had any experiences even close to what these characters went through. But they can research and discuss. They can come together as a group and share this process. I’ve found them to be incredibly intuitive and reverent to this in regard to the human condition, because yes, it is a horrific topic.
You have all this sadness, this grief, this unimaginable. And no words we read can ever really give us the experience of what these people endured and died from. But woven in there is love and dignity. Somehow the human spirit allowed them to maintain a sense of hope. And I think that is inspiring. What’s also inspiring is that art makes us think. Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? I don't think we'll ever figure that out, but I think art steps in and reminds us by tapping into the emotions, the soul, and the spirit of the human condition.
Being a good storyteller is what I'm encouraging the students to be. No, you are not the character Krystyna Zywulska. You are embodying her to tell the story. Is that an easy process? No, but through rehearsal, research, readjustment, rethought and reimagination, we can find a balance of living truthfully in the material. Also, honestly, find who you are as an actor.
By arrangement with Bent Pen Music, Inc., Publisher and copyright holder.
Bill Holab Music: Sole Agent
Story by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer
See Two Remain December 13, 14 and 14 at the Provincetown Playhouse.
