Signs of Life presented by Amas Musical Theatre February 16, 2010

Signs of Life is an exploration of life in the Jewish artists’ ghetto created by the Nazis in the Czech town of Terezin during World War II. Hitler renamed it Theresienstadt and his propaganda cynically proclaimed it “A City for the Jews”. He proceeded to populate Theresienstadt with the most prominent artists, composers, scientists, and scholars of Europe. A vibrant artistic community emerged and the ghetto was alive with concerts, plays, and lectures. The Nazi’s, for their own international propaganda purposes, coerced their prisoners to depict Terezin as a place where they lived free lives. But hidden from the watchful eyes of their captors, the artists created secret pictures and writings which were concealed and smuggled out to alert the world to what was really happening. They felt that, because of their covert efforts, the truth could survive. Signs of Life is a true story of love, defiance and the power of art.