Written and performed by Jonathan Salt, the play is set in Warsaw in August 1942, on the eve of the deportation of the orphans under Korczak’s care to the Treblinka extermination camp.
The show is inspired by Korczak's The Ghetto Diaries and other writings, as well as eyewitness accounts of how Korczak led some 200 children from his orphanage to their deaths, and how, despite numerous opportunities to save himself, he chose to stay with his children until the very end.
On the morning of August 4, 1942, the Nazis forcibly removed over 4,000 children from the Warsaw Ghetto, ultimately sending them to the Treblinka gas chambers.
Confessions of a Butterfly is set on the day before these tragic events. The narrative unfolds in Korczak’s room at the orphanage, where he reflects on the world's state and the treatment of children in times of conflict.
Salt, who is also an educator specializing in the Holocaust, has said in an interview: “As an actor it is an immense privilege to play someone who existed, but especially someone of the calibre of Janusz Korczak. He is one of the giants of humanity of the 20th century, but relatively unknown in the UK.”
Three more performances of Confessions of a Butterfly are scheduled at the Edinburgh Fringe, on August 22, 23 and 24.
(mk/gs)