In celebration of Cardinal Stritch University’s 75th
anniversary, alumni, students, faculty, staff and the public are encouraged to
attend a performance of the moving Broadway hit “Irena’s
Vow.”
This incredible tale of a righteous rescuer, staged in collaboration with Renaissance
Theaterworks, tells the true story of Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish Catholic
who, after the outbreak of World War II, was conscripted as a housekeeper in
the home of a powerful Nazi officer. When she finds out that the Jewish ghetto
is about to be liquidated, Irena decides to shelter 12 Jewish workers in the
safest place she can think of: the basement of the German commandant’s house.
Over the next two years, Irena uses her wit, humor and courage to hide her
friends until the end of the German occupation, concealing them in the midst of
countless Nazi parties, a blackmail scheme, and even the birth of a child.
Stritch's production is the Midwestern premiere of the play, a Broadway hit that garnered several awards for Tovah Feldschuh in the role of Irena. Professional
actors Julie Swenson and Drew Brhel will perform alongside Stritch students in
the production, directed by Renaissance Artistic Director Suzan Fete.
Jeannie Smith, the daughter of Irena
Gut Opdyke, will be on Stritch’s campus on Friday, Oct. 26 and will speak about her mother's experiences during the Holocaust at 11 a.m. in the Nancy Kendall Theater and at 3 p.m. in
the Sister Camille Kliebhan Conference Center.
Showtimes and dates:
Oct. 26-27; Nov. 2-3 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.
Location:
Nancy Kendall Theater
Joan Steele Stein Center for Communication Studies/Fine Arts
Cardinal Stritch University
6801 N. Yates Road, Milwaukee (get directions here)
Tickets:
$12/adults
$10/seniors
$6/students
Free for Stritch students w/ I.D.
For
more information or to reserve tickets, call (414) 410-4171.