"Kindertransport" Showcased Talent of FSU Students to Statewide Audience

Two recent performances of the play Kindertransport showcased the talent of Fairmont State University students to a statewide audience.

In October 2010, FSU produced the play, which is based on actual experiences of German-Jewish families involved in the Kindertransport program during World War II. Depicting the heroic efforts of both German and British families to rescue children orphaned by the Holocaust, the play centers around the life of one of those children, a 7-year-old girl named Eva Schlesinger. After her parents are deported to a Nazi internment camp, little Eva is put aboard a train and evacuated to England, where she is raised for many years by an English woman.

As part of the Collegiate Series sponsored by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the School of Fine Arts and Masquers were invited by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith to present "Kindertransport" on Feb. 8 at the Culture Center in the Capitol Complex in Charleston.

“We are so pleased to be invited to perform for a second time in the Collegiate Series,” said Peter Lach, Dean of the School of Fine Arts, after receiving the invitation. “We presented 'Remembering #9: Stories from the Farmington Mine Disaster' last year as part of the series, and are proud to present this production of  'Kindertransport,' which was recently honored by the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival as one of the most outstanding in the region.”

The Kennedy Center/ACTF also presented Meritorious Awards of Excellence to the student designers of the show, including Cora Childress for costuming, Matt Snyder for lighting, Even Storm for sound design and Jeremiah Ripley for prop design. Bruce McGlumphy, Morgan Davis, Samantha Huffman and Eliza Huff were nominated for the prestigious Irene Ryan Award Competition for their acting talents in "Kindertransport."

Under the direction of Jeffrey Ingman, Assistant Professor of Acting and Directing, cast members included Lydia Mong as Evelyn, Phyl Charnes as Lil, Morgan Davis as Eva, Samantha Huffman as Faith, Elizabeth Huff as Helga and Bruce McGlumphy as The Ratcatcher.

School of Fine Arts