Holocaust then and now

The Investigation

31 October 10 November 2007
Just thirteen years after their own holocaust, a company of actors from Rwanda come to Europe to perform a play about Auschwitz. A sensation wherever it has appeared, these are the only UK performances.

They remind us of the danger of forgettng. They revive the fundamental power of theatre. Simple perfection - Les Temps Modernes

Written by Peter Weiss, author of the Marat Sade and pioneer of documentary theatre, The Investigation is regarded as one of the most influential plays about the holocaust.

Weiss original five hour play was based on reports and debates from the 1964 Frankfurt trial where German citizens were prosecuted for their role in running the camps at Auschwitz. Rwandan theatre company Urwintore present a 90 minute version that subtly implies the question how could we have let this happen again?

In his adaptation, director, actor and playwright Dorcy Rugamba links the worlds of yesterdays Europe, fifty years after the holocaust, and todays Rwanda ten years after the genocide of the Batutsi.

By investigating the Nazis crimes, we are prosecuting the crimes of our own time which never succeeded in recovering from Auschwitz crimes. - Dorcy Rugamba, Director.

Dorcy Rugamba was born in 1969 to a family of artists. His father Cyprien Rugamba was a writer, choreographer, composer and, until 1994, founder and Artistic Director of the Amasimbi Amakombe Ballet Company. The Rwandan genocide claimed the lives of more than one million people in three months. Rugambas family died on the first day. Fleeing from Rwanda, he settled in Brussels where he attended the Department of Dramatic Arts at the Conservatoire Royal du Musique de Liege.

Rugambas acclaimed published works include Rwanda 94 (1999) and Marembo (2005). His play BloodyNiggers! is currently touring France. As an actor he has worked with Peter Brook on the world tour of Tierno Bokar and in 2005 founded Urwintore in Kigali, where he directed The Investigation. Performed at Butare and Kigali in Rwanda, the Festival of Liege in Belgium and the Theatres des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, it now comes to the Young Vic for its UK premiere.
The Investigation will be directed by Dorcy Rugamba and Isabella Gyselinx with design by Fabienne Damiean and lighting by Manu Deck.

The Human Cost
One performance only - Sunday 4 November at 7.30pm
Exploring these issues further, The Human Cost: Commemorating the Victims of Genocide is a one off evening of reminiscence, reflection, film, song and protest with contributions from Holocaust survivors and artists and activists from all over the world including Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.

Performances include choral phenomenon The Shout, folk singer Shura Lipovsky, violinist Ruth Waterman, and accordionist Merima Klijuco. The Human Cost is conceived and curated by Richard Beecham.

The Investigation: Tickets and information 020 7922 2922
www.youngvic.org
Monday-Saturday 7.30pm
Saturday Matinees 2.30pm (03 November and 10 November)
Wednesday Matinees 2.30pm (07 November)
Ticket prices
Under 26s £9.50
Previews £18.50
Weekdays, Saturday Evenings and Matinees £21.50
Last performance £24.50
Concessions available
The Human Cost: Listings Information: 04 November 2007
Tickets and information 020 7922 2922
www.youngvic.org
Sunday 04 November 7.30pm
Ticket prices
Tickets £12.50
Under 26s £7.50
Ticket holders for The Investigation and discounts £9.50