from Shadow Syndicate

Set in the final, numbered, days of an orphanage in the German imposed Warsaw ghetto slum in 1942; Dr Janus Korczak is an educator, writer and Jew, attempting to be a beacon of hope and light by shielding oprhaned Jewish children amid a sea of Nazi oppression and pessimism that surrounds them. Based on real events, this highly affecting play is an allegorical tale, with the notions of humanity, tolerance and resistance in the face of fear and brutality, particularly resonant and important to observe in light of recent national and world events.

The Doctor's values are threatened not only by Nazi regime, but by the arrival of a young boy who believes in fighting back. Adzio, arrives as a boisterous and angry sixteen year old, juxtaposing the democratic ideals established. Adzio argues it is better to fight and finds Korczak’s insistence on absolute moral superiority impossible. The calming influence of Stephanie, however, a girl already a member of the orphanage, is the perfect antidote to Adzio’s anger.  Both are traumatised teenagers who survive and grow, forming a deep bond, under the loving protection of Korczak, who helps then navigate the terrors of the Ghetto. 

Blending naturalism with an array of stylised techniques; Shadow Syndicate form a production that is provocative and haunting, leaving audiences exhilarated and uplifted by the indomitable power of love.