THE INTERPRETER Comes to The Theater Project in August

The Theater Project will present award-winning playwright Joseph Vitale’s thought-provoking play, The Interpreter, August 15 through August 25.

A work of theatrical fiction that explores the complex relationship between Hermann Goering – Reichsmarschall of Germany and leading Nazi on trial for war crimes – and his interpreter, a 23-year-old Jewish U.S. Army private, was inspired by the real-life experiences of Richard Sonnenfeldt, the chief interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials. The play had a successful Zoom production in January 2022.

The Interpreter premieres for the public at 8pm on Friday, August 16 at the stage at Summit’s Oakes Center Theater. A special 10am student matinee will be Thursday, August 15. Facilitated audience discussions on the topics of antisemitism, bigotry and their relation to current events will be held with the playwright, actors and director follows designated performances.

Vitale, recipient of a 2021 fellowship in playwrighting from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, said that although the play is about the Nuremberg trials, it also turns a mirror on ourselves. “At the same time that Allies were trying Nazis for crimes against humanity, prejudice and intolerance were rampant on our side,” Vitale said. “What The Interpreter does, I hope, is to remind us that the virus of hatred lies at the heart of humanity itself. By recognizing that fact, and giving voice to it, perhaps we can assure that unspeakable acts won’t someday be perpetrated in our name as well.”

"The Theater Project has been inviting audiences to discuss difficult topics for thirty years," says the company's director, Mark Spina. "We are looking forward to constructive conversations after The Intepreter with patrons and invited guest speakers." Dr. Anglea West of Drew University’s Center for Holocaust/Genocide studies will facilitate one of the post-performance discussions.

Gaining regional recognition for its ongoing projects during the pandemic—including its annual Young Playwrights Competition, ARK (Actors Reading with Kids) program and its recently launched “The Theater Project Thinks About” podcasts—The Theater Project was just one of 22 organizations in New Jersey receiving prestigious NEA grants for the 2021 fiscal year. 

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