Dominican University Performing Arts Center Presents L.A. Theatre Works: JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
By: A.A. Cristi Nov. 02, 2016
As the United States commemorates the 75th anniversary of our entry into World War II, and as politics continues to infiltrate human rights and social justice issues worldwide, L.A. Theatre Works tours one of the great courtroom dramas of the last century: Judgment at Nuremberg. Originally a riveting teleplay, Judgment at Nuremberg became an Academy Award winning film and a stage play that is both surprising and unsettling.
Following the end of WWII, a series of trials were held to prosecute war criminals. These became known as the Nuremberg Trials. The first, with an international tribunal, tried the most notorious leaders of the Nazi party for their crimes against humanity. There were a dozen subsequent American-led tribunals to prosecute Nazis of lesser stature. 185 individuals, broken into five categories - professionals, such as doctors and judges; industrialists and financiers; SS officers and police; military leaders; and government ministers and cabinet members - were tried over the course of three years.
These trials became a model for international war-crime tribunals. Judgment at Nuremberg is a dramatic interpretation of the trial of judges.
Judgment at Nuremberg poses difficult questions: How does a judge, committed to the law, enforce immoral and vicious crimes against humanity? Why, in the aftermath of WWII, did America pressure the courts to be lenient on the defendants? And, what does America do when our foreign policy interests clash with our stated beliefs in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?; and explores themes such as: how compassion can become secondary to the rule of law; how human rights are compromised during times of conflict; and how politics plays a role in dealing with genocide - issues which remain relevant today.
In Abby Mann's stage adaptation of his Oscar-winning drama, a cast of unforgettable characters play out a high-stakes game against the backdrop of a looming Cold War, shifting political alliances, and the shocking and vivid memories of the Holocaust and World War II.
L.A. Theatre Works:
Judgment at Nuremberg
by Abby Mann
Saturday, November 12
7:30 p.m. // Lund Auditorium
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Tuesday-Friday Noon-6 p.m.
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