Kindertransport

Between 1939 until the outbreak of World War II, nearly 10,000 Jewish children were taken from their families in Nazi-occupied Germany and sent to live with foster families in Britain. Diane Samuels’ seminal play, Kindertransport, imagines the fate of one such child.

Nine-year-old Eva is taken from her home in Germany and sent to Manchester to live with the Miller family. At first, she clashes with her foster mother, Lil, but slowly a bond of trust forms between them. After she learns that her parents have failed to escape Germany, the Millers become her family, and a new identity begins to form. After the war is over, she changes her name to Evelyn and acquires British citizenship. Over thirty years later, her now grown-up daughter, Faith stumbles across some old letters in their attic and Evelyn is forced to confront her traumatic past…

Samuels deftly weaves together Evelyn’s past and present as she explores the devastating impact of the Holocaust on three generations.

Now widely considered a modern classic, Kindertransport has been read and studied all over the world.

Age Guidance: 12+