[NEohioPAL]Streetsboro Community Theatre Song of Survival Review

[Rebecca Summers]

On Stage: Streetsboro=B9s =8CSong=B9 brings history to life
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by Joe Filippini, Record Publishing Company


Mention World War II concentration camps and most people immediately think
of the German death camps of the Holocaust.

Much less well known are the internment camps set up by the Japanese to hol=
d
Westerners captured in the lands they conquered throughout Southeast Asia.
Hardship, misery and death found a home in these tropical camps as
thoroughly as they did in Europe. And surviving one of these camps could be
just as harrowing an experience.

Streetsboro Community Theatre=B9s all-woman production of =B3Song of Survival=B2
takes its audience to one of these Asian concentration camps, through the
eyes and memories of Hollander camp internee Helen Coljin. The play is base=
d
on the real-life Helen Coljin=B9s autobiographical book by the same name whic=
h
tells of her ordeal in a Japanese camp located in Sumatra, in present-day
Indonesia. During her imprisonment, the inmates at the camp suffered throug=
h
starvation, heatstroke, and many different diseases caused by lack of
medicine and unsanitary living conditions.

Although she lived through truly horrific experiences, Helen and her fellow
inmates kept each other going as well as they could, using music to lift
their spirits high above the depths into which their captors forced them.
The more musically-talented captives organized the others into a chorus
which performed their favorite songs, some original works by the inmates an=
d
reproductions of classical music which not only kept them going but also
touched the hearts of some of their captors.

Narrated by the Helen of today (played by Wini Kovacik) and the young Helen
who lived in the camp (portrayed by Katie Gordon), the story revolves aroun=
d
the elder Helen=B9s reminisces about her experiences during the war. Conflict
develops between the two Helens, with the younger exhorting her elder self
to keep her memories of the ordeals of the camp alive, while the elder urge=
s
her junior self to keep forgiveness uppermost in her heart.

The most impressive part of this production is the music. The women of the
camp possessed only whatever they wore on their backs or what they could
keep from the watchful eyes of the camp guards, so they had no musical
instruments to play. Because of this, all the music in the production is a
cappella. And the musical talents of the players shine in these choral
performances. From the hymns they sing in their Sunday church meetings, to
vocal renditions of classical works by Bach and Dvorak, the melodies and
harmonies touch the heart.

SCT=B9s production design is very interesting visually. Surrounded by barbed
wire, the camp scene dominates the stage with rickety shacks, old wooden
boxes and benches and the occasional burlap sack. Off to one side of the
stage is where the elder Helen exists: a small platform containing a bit of
her present-day living room. The women of the camp go through their daily
lives under the constant watch of the camp guards, suggested by ever-presen=
t
and eerily-lit, armed and uniformed silhouettes in the background. As the
play advances through the war, the worsening conditions in the camp are
effectively reflected by the tattered costumes and the actors=B9 makeup.

The cast does an excellent job of portraying women whose lives are being
torn apart by war. The camp=B9s inmates come from a wide variety of
backgrounds, and being forced into such a small and horrid place leads to
all manner of conflicts between them. Emotions run high in the script, and
the players translate these emotions very effectively onto the stage. Gordo=
n
and Kovacik, as the central characters of the production, shine in this
regard. Also of note are Barbara Bellamy, Holly Humes, Robyn Parker, Tiffan=
y
Stoker, Sarah T. Petite, Alauna Redfern, Debbie Vogias, Dottie Emerick,
Lauren Parker, and Jessi Malicki, who all deliver passionate performances.

=B3Song of Survival=B2 plays at the Streetsboro Community Theatre in the
Streetsboro Municipal Building at 9184 Route 43 April 23, 24 and 30 and May
1 at 8 p.m.
Tickets cost $7 for students, $8 for seniors and $10 for adults.
For reservations, call the Streetsboro Community Theatre box office at
1-800-696-0465.
E-mail: jfilippini at recordpub.net
Phone: 330-688-0088, ext. 3162
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