Dr Korczak's Example

'Dr Korczak’s Example is set in the final, numbered, days of an orphanage in the Warsaw ghetto in 1942. Based on real events, this ‘Brechtian’ retelling generates an almost unbearable power and pathos through the simple humanity, warts and all, of the central characters who are trapped both by the inexorable forces of Nazi oppression and by our fore-knowledge of the fate that awaits them. The play’s ‘alienation’ device of depicting its characters through the use of dolls, further enhances our painful feeling of powerlessness. Yet, in spite of its tragic outcome, Dr Korczak’s Example, like the real life of its protagonist, leaves us exhilarated and uplifted by the indomitable power of love.' Hugh Hodgart Head of Acting at RSAMD, Glasgow