Award-winning theatre company, Son of Semele Ensemble (SOSE), announces the final extension of the west coast premiere of Our Class, by Polish playwright Tadeusz Sobodzianek, in an English version by Ryan Craig. Directed by Matthew McCray, the critically- acclaimed production of Our Class will continue its run at the Atwater Village Theatre.
Inspired by the Jedwabne pogrom a hotly contested, tragic, historic event in Poland in 1941, Our Class chronicles the lives of 10 classmates as they grow up in tumultuous times. From 1925 to the new millennium, 5 Catholic and 5 Jewish classmates lives take dramatic and unexpected turns as their town is invaded first by the Soviet army, then Nazi forces and then again by the Soviets. Peaceful neighbors turn against one another as violence escalates and these seemingly friendly neighbors are changed by unimaginable and unfortunate circumstances.Our Class is an uncompromising examination of wartime mob mentality coupled with the driving forces of religious and national identity. This rich and layered work highlights how an entire community is rendered powerless by traumatic events and how the horrors of war influence our allegiances, our values and our survival. Our Class is a story of the ambiguity of right and wrong in times of extreme conflict and how a person can be changed by fear.Videos