THE DEAD MAN at The Justice Theater Project

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2. THE DEAD MAN

THE DEAD MAN is a timeless story of heartbreak and strength, and its relevance to today’s global moment is striking. “The play focuses on a traumatized community trying to move forward,” said O’Brien. “Together, they chip through the darkness by not shying away from their collective horror.” 

In the wake of WWI, the Jewish residents of a destroyed shtetl come together to discuss how--or if--they should rebuild. From the playwright who wrote the Yiddish drama classic "God of Vengeance" comes a new translation of his 1922 work, THE DEAD MAN, Sholem Asch’s haunting WWI drama. Surviving members of a Jewish community gather in the rubble of a decimated synagogue in Poland in the aftermath of the war. Ravaged by destruction, hunger, and the influenza pandemic, how will they rebuild their lives? Dealing with dislocation, madness, and death, all they have left is a powerful hope for a prosperous, new future. They consider moving to Palestine or America or staying and rebuilding in Poland. During their debate, a young Jewish soldier arrives. He had left the community to join the army and was rumored to have died in battle. He returns from the front to tell his neighbors that he has found a new land where Jews won’t be persecuted, can live safely and comfortably, and with food and jobs for everyone. They hope this dream is true.