WTC presents 'Letters to Sala'

As part of the Black Curtain Theatre series, the Whitefish Theatre Company presents “Letters To Sala” on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.

Based on a true account, “Letters To Sala” is a remarkable story of a young girl’s survival during wartime Germany. Sala Garncarz spent five years in a Nazi labor camp that she chronicled in over 350 letters that she managed to keep safe.

The emotional journey of the play begins for both Sala and her daughter Ann when the letters resurface. As Sala is thrown into the past, Ann is discovering her mother’s historical impact on Holocaust documentation while Ann’s daughters, Caroline and Elisabeth, realize for the first time the weight of their Jewish heritage. Three generations of Kirschner women must work together to sift through the past and come to terms with the true gravity of Sala’s letters.

“The wonderful cast of ‘Letters To Sala’ and I are enjoying the always magical process of discovery that theatre brings,” says director Amy Zoltek. “As we put together this true and important story of Sala and her family, it has been wonderful to explore the power of the written word and how it ties us to history and each other.”

Cast members include Betsy Funk, Samantha Shepherd, Nicki Corne, Nicole Silwoski, Alexa Lamers, Paula Halama, Leslie Kermath, Jan Simpson, Susanne Lucas, Annie McLoughlin, Marti Kurth, Guiseppe Caltabiano, Ian Caltabiano, Ethan Mercer, and Jim Mohn. Viewers are reminded that as a Black Curtain production, there will minimal staging, no set or props, and actors will be reading from a script. A short talk back is scheduled directly following the show.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students with general seating. Tickets are sold only at the door on the evenings of each show. The Box Office opens at 6:30 p.m. and is located at 1 Central Ave., Whitefish. For more information, call 862-5371. This show is sponsored by Soroptomist International of Whitefish.