Kindertransport, which was directed by Kellee Van Aken, an Artistic Associate at the City Theater, had a strong opening night on Friday November 11 in Seton Hill University's (SHU) Reeves theater. The six memeber cast, which consisted of Sarah M. Danko, Laura A. Stracko, Danielle Nortum, Maureen E. Lydon, Elizabeth Serra and Jonathan P. Stewart, transported the audience to a London local and various spots in Europe through effective use of accents, lighting, props and sound effects. Emotions and words successfully rendered by these SHU students brought to life the characters in this play written by Diane Samuels.
Throughout the play, accents differentiated the characters from each other, and it showed character development. Stewart, who played the Ratcatcher and all the male roles had to speak both a German and English accent. Danko played Eva, who was 9 years old at the beginning ot the play. She eventually lost her German accent as she grew older. by the end of the play, she changed her name to Evelyn, and she could no longer understand the German her birthmother spoke.
The use of lighting, which was effective, established mood. This was important and especially helpful for samll stages. There were times when the black out seemed abrupt and sudden, but this was considered minor. Overall the lighting helped to move the story from one place to another: present to past. Lighting depicting movement was seen in Eva's train ride. Serra's character Lil shifting from the presnt to the past was cued by the light change. When she was at the present time, she walked very slowly and her back was a little hunch. The light employed was the color of the setting sun: warm and golden orange. Whe she was in the past, her demeanour was bold and vibrant. Her voice was more lively, and the lighting was more neutral (gray). The creepiness of the Ratcatcher was illustrated with the use of red lighting and black outlines of his shadowy figure.
Props and sound effects were important in assisting the actors. The harmonica was the unheard voice of Eva. the jewelry given to her by Helga, played by Stracko, symbolized the ties and bond between mother and child. The hurried pace of th elocomotive paralleled the frenzy that Eva had been thrown in. Evelyn, who was played by Nortum, ripped papers to pieces. The ripping echoed discontinuity and the letting go of the past. The sound of the fog horn of the ship mirrored Helga's longing for her daughter Eva's return.
Kindertransport illustrated the struggle faced by parents and their children who left their homes and took the train to England in order to escape Hitler. This play showed how Eva dealt with leaving her family, adapting a new one, denouncing her past, and keeping it a secret from her daughter. Eva's actions was a way for her to deal with the Holocaust as an individual, and it was her way of understanding what happened to her.