Theatre performances bring colour to memory: New works inspired by Emmie Arbel’s story
Barbara Yelin’s graphic novel Emmie Arbel: The Colour of Memory continues to inspire new generations of artists and students to engage with the life of child Holocaust survivor Emmie Arbel through theatre and dance.
“There are some things I know, but I don’t remember”
In 2025, a theatre piece “Manche Sachen weiß ich, aber ich erinnere mich nicht” (“There are some things I know, but I don’t remember”), was developed by director Sharon On with Theater Strahl’s youth ensemble in Berlin. The ensemble embarks on a journey together to explore their own biographical connections to the Shoah and to examine the relevance of Emmie Arbel’s story to their lives today. Participants draw upon images, texts, research, and their own experiences. Together with actors from the Theater Strahl ensemble, they bring this story to life artistically on stage. The play was performed from June 13 to July 5, 2025 at the Theater Strahl and on July 13, 2025 at the Ravensbrück Memorial.
Reflections on the final performance can be viewed online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp87N5cnTjM
“Sound in the Silence – Raise Your Voice”
Inspired by the first theatrical production, a second performance project, “Sound in the Silence – Raise Your Voice”, enables teenagers and young adults to engage artistically and personally with the history of the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp through survivor Emmie Arbel’s graphic novel. After getting to know the historic site through a guided tour and a visit to the exhibition, participants are given the opportunity in various workshops (dance, rap, sound, voice) to become aware of their thoughts and feelings and to find ways to express them artistically. The focus was on encouraging participants to develop their own voice and stance, as well as to make connections to their own life stories and current social developments. They also have the chance to talk to Emmie, who was there during the project week. With the support of the memorial’s education team and the artistic team led by the American-Jewish rapper Dan Wolf, a performance is ultimately created – as a new form of remembrance that goes beyond standardized rituals.
Performance of the ‘Sound in the Silence’ at the Ravensbrück Memorial in June, 2026. Photo credit: Tamara Kanfer.
The “Sound in the Silence – Raise Your Voice” was developed by Ravensbrück’s educational department and coordinated by Zazie Rothfuchs, and with support from the EVZ Foundation and Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The artists leading the workshops were Kat Rampackova, Chris Find, Sean Palmer and Dan Wolf. Beyond. Since 2025, it has expanded to other sites, including the Osthofen Memorial, and returned to Ravensbrück in June 2026 with students from Freie Universität Berlin and Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts creating a new performance.
For more information on these exciting performances, and to see clips from the stage productions, please visit these websites:
https://www.theater-strahl.de/programm/manche-sachen
https://www.ravensbrueck-sbg.de/en/educational-programmes/cultural-education