Tap Dancing Through Auschwitz

Check out this promotional photo and press release for the play I am producing here in downtown Gainesville! Hope to see you all there! 

UF​ ​Student​ ​Debuts​ ​Play,​ ​December​ ​4t​ h​,​ ​Exploring​ ​The​ ​Complicated​ ​Impact​ ​Of​ ​The​ ​Holocaust​ ​On Modern​ ​Day​ ​Jewish​ ​High​ ​School​ ​Students.

​​Written​ ​by​ ​undergraduate​ ​senior​ ​Tyler​ ​Ellman,​ ​“Tap​ ​Dancing​ ​Through​ ​Auschwitz”​ ​is​ ​a play​ ​that​ ​explores​ ​the​ ​impact​ ​of​ ​Holocaust-era​ ​tragedies​ ​and​ ​its​ ​resonance​ ​with​ ​modern-day​ ​high​ ​school students.​ ​This​ ​play​ ​will​ ​be​ ​performed​ ​Monday​ ​December​ ​4,​ ​2017​ ​​ ​and​ ​Tuesday​ ​December​ ​5,​ ​2017​ ​at​ ​the High​ ​Dive​ ​in​ ​downtown​ ​Gainesville.

The​ ​production​ ​is​ ​based​ ​around​ ​the​ ​“March​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Living”​ ​in​ ​which​ ​thousands​ ​of​ ​Jewish​ ​teens​ ​travel each​ ​year​ ​to​ ​visit​ ​the​ ​notorious​ ​concentration​ ​camps​ ​in​ ​Poland.​ ​”Unlike​ ​the​ ​infamous​ ​death​ ​marches, this​ ​is​ ​a​ ​march​ ​in​ ​celebration​ ​of​ ​life,​ ​heritage,​ ​and​ ​faith,”​ ​said​ ​Ellman.

Throughout​ ​the​ ​play,​ ​each​ ​of​ ​the​ ​characters​ ​reconcile​ ​individual​ ​life​ ​transitions​ ​with​ ​the​ ​weight​ ​of​ ​their ancestors’​ ​history.​ ​This​ ​coming​ ​of​ ​age​ ​story​ ​shows​ ​the​ ​inevitable​ ​relationship​ ​between​ ​light​ ​and darkness,​ ​suffering​ ​and​ ​hope,​ ​and​ ​misery​ ​and​ ​faith.
This​ ​play​ ​is​ ​based​ ​on​ ​true​ ​events,​ ​as​ ​the​ ​playwright​ ​shares​ ​his​ ​personal​ ​experience​ ​with​ ​the​ ​greater Gainesville​ ​community.​ ​Previous​ ​contributions​ ​of​ ​the​ ​playwright​ ​include​ ​organizing​ ​the​ ​Liberation​ ​Rally in​ ​Turlington​ ​Plaza​ ​last​ ​January,​ ​which​ ​was​ ​attended​ ​by​ ​200​ ​plus​ ​participants​ ​including​ ​the​ ​University​ ​of Florida​ ​President​ ​Dr.​ ​Kent​ ​Fuchs.​ ​The​ ​rally​ ​was​ ​in​ ​commemoration​ ​of​ ​the​ ​72nd​ ​anniversary​ ​of​ ​the liberation​ ​of​ ​Auschwitz.

Sponsors​ ​and​ ​partners​ ​for​ ​this​ ​production​ ​include​ ​Alpha​ ​Epsilon​ ​Pi,​ ​Chabad​ ​at​ ​UF,​ ​UF​ ​Hillel,​ ​the​ ​Jewish Council​ ​of​ ​North​ ​Central​ ​Florida,​ ​the​ ​Jewish​ ​Student​ ​Union​ ​at​ ​the​ ​University​ ​of​ ​Florida,​ ​and​ ​Alpha​ ​Epsilon Phi.
All​ ​proceeds​ ​from​ ​this​ ​production​ ​will​ ​be​ ​donated​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Arab​ ​American​ ​Community​ ​Center​ ​of​ ​Florida, supporting​ ​refugees​ ​of​ ​Iraq​ ​and​ ​Syria.

The​ ​doors​ ​open​ ​at​ ​7​ ​p.m.​ ​and​ ​the​ ​show​ ​starts​ ​promptly​ ​at​ ​8​ ​p.m.​ ​Tickets​ ​can​ ​be​ ​bought​ ​in​ ​advance​ ​for​ ​$6 standing​ ​room​ ​and​ ​$10​ ​seats​ ​or​ ​bought​ ​at​ ​the​ ​door​ ​for​ ​$8​ ​standing​ ​room​ ​and​ ​$12​ ​seats.​ ​Tickets​ ​can​ ​be purchased​ ​at​ ​​Ticketfly.com​​ ​or​ ​at​ ​the​ ​High​ ​Dive​ ​Box​ ​Office,​ ​​210​ ​SW​ ​2nd​ ​Avenue,​ ​Gainesville,​ ​FL​ ​32601.