Play about lesbian Holocaust survivor to premiere at Brighton Fringe
Work about Margot Heuman, born in 1928, will be shown to an online audience later this month
A new play about the extraordinary life of lesbian Holocaust survivor Margot Heuman will premiere to an online audience later this month as part of the Brighton Fringe.
Born in 1928 in Germany, Heuman survived Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Neuengamme, and Bergen-Belsen, before being liberated by the British and later emigrating to the United States.
The play takes its text from interviews conducted by Warwick University historian Anna Hájková and offers “a poignant look at coming of age as a Jewish queer woman in the concentration camps”.
Still alive today, Heuman is “the first and probably only lesbian voice” to speak about her experience in the Holocaust, as she reflects on love, choices, sexual violence, sexual barter, hatred towards LGBTQ+ communities, survival.
Hájková said Heuman “reminds us of humanity within the society of Holocaust victims, but also of the stories that have been erased by homophobia”.
Actor Ayse Evans, who reads the testimony of Margot, said: “This is the queer story I never had growing up, but that I am so glad my daughter will have.”
Organisers say the play “offers a rare and important glimpse into queer life during the Holocaust, one of the most silenced and marginalized topics of this genocide”.
Brighton Fringe takes place over three days from 24-26 June, with the play premiering at 7.30pm.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
