Letters to Sala
By Arlene Hutton
originally conceived by Lawrence Sacharow
based on the book Sala’s Gift by Ann Kirschner
directed by Kristin Mellian
November 1-10, 2024
November 1, 2, 8 & 9 at 7:30 p.m.
November 3, 9* & 10 at 2:00 p.m.
In her golden years, the real-life Sala Garncarz Kirschner revealed her fifty-year secret to her daughter, Ann, when she gifted Ann 350 letters written and exchanged during World War II. Arlene Hutton’s Letters to Sala, based on Sala’s story and adapted from Ann Kirschner’s book Sala’s Gift, chronicles young Sala’s survival journey as a young Jewish woman working in seven WW2 Nazi labor camps. During her journey, young Sala's letters give her hope and bear witness to her experiences. Letters to Sala also follows Ann’s research and exploration of her mother’s painful history, while older Sala revisits the circumstances, people, and places of her recently unearthed past. Three generations of women wrestle with what should become of the letters, as they recognize the weight of their Jewish heritage, the power of loving bonds, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Tickets are $15 for the general public and $7 for students and can be purchased at fgcu.edu/theatrelab
*There will be a discussion with the cast and crew following this performance
Letters to Sala is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)
Image created by Olivia Daley ('23, Theatre)
