Harlequin in the Ghetto (LSU/Madison) was created at Louisiana State University based on a script from the Terezín/Theresienstadt Ghetto. 

In the World War II Jewish ghetto at Theresienstadt, a young prisoner, Zdeněk Jelínek, wrote a play in the commedia dell’arte style about a question of urgent interest to them all: would Harlequin, the lovable clown, escape the clutches of the Capitano? Survivors vividly recalled this play for its poetry, its idealism, and for its humor. The script, entitled Comedy about a Trap, was thought lost until recently.  Lisa Peschel and Alan Sikes developed Harlequin in the Ghetto during a semester-long workshop with Alan's students at Louisiana State University, based on preserved fragments of the script, survivor testimony, and research into the cultural life of the ghetto. The performance explores the political commitment of the young author, his pre-war sources of inspiration, and a question for our own day: what are we to make of a comedy written during the Holocaust? 

Dr. Alan Sikes, Director.  Dr. Lisa Peschel, Dramaturge.  Cast: students from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana:   Alexander Charles Adams, Caitlin Brimer, Dexter Ellis, Abby Jones, Kendall Krebsbach, Margaret Miller, Scott Anthony Don Bosco Mitchell, Mallory Osigian, Lindsey Potter, Sara Saurage, Erin Sheets, and Shelbi Young.