Players Guild of Leonia to Present Staged Reading of OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE OF COMPASSION 1/19/2017

The Players Guild of Leonia will present a staged reading of "Outside the Circle of Compassion" based on the memories of Susan Gold, an Englewood resident who was hidden as a child during the holocaust in Poland. Lois Corwin, a Teaneck resident, has brought these memories to life in her play.

Beginning with Shanka's (aka Susan's) childhood, "Outside the Circle of Compassion" traces the Geller family's story from their well-respected and wealthy position in the town of Wlodzimierz, Poland (Ukraine area) to their hasty removal to the ghetto, and eventual escape to a hiding place provided in a bunker under a Polish farmer's barn. Shanka emerges from the darkness of the bunker after 2 years when she is 7 years old. Her young mind is tangled between hopeful Christian beliefs of being saved and anti-Semitic superstitions, both taught by her nanny, Olga. Her own family confuses her further by telling her what were considered "necessary lies".

When the family is free to leave the bunker at the end of the War, the drunken Polish farmer who hid them, dramatically reveals the extreme and horrific solutions he contemplated under his own duress from the Nazis. Shanka's emotions explode unexpectedly while trying to understand who is telling her the truth.

The staged reading of "Outside the Circle of Compassion" is being held at this time to honor the January 27 date that is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This commemoration day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly and is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a former Nazi concentration camp in southern occupied Poland.

Event: "Outside the Circle of Compassion" by Lois Corwin

Based on the memoirs of Susan Gold

Date: January 19, 2017 (Thursday)

Time: 8:30 PM

Place: Players Guild of Leonia, 130 Grand Avenue, Leonia, NJ

This is a free event; donations gratefully accepted.

Seating will be available on first come, first serve basis

Q & A is planned after the show as well as refreshments