A unique perspective of a dark period in history
The importance of not forgetting is the foundations of The Jewish Dog. When atrocities happen, we tend to want to bury them and forget that they even took place. We want to move on and carry on from before they happened, not quite knowing how we fit in.
The atmosphere felt light and “The dog” greeted everyone entering the theatre, which set the tone of the interactive, breaking the fourth wall performance. A doghouse and earth with several objects placed on top was the stage for this piece. Floor lighting highlighted the objects and cleverly gave them depth. “The dog” had a go pro on a head mount to give a unique perspective which is something I haven’t seen used in this way before.
The light-heartedness and jokes introduced this piece-though a lot of cultural references were lost on me as we are shown memories and stories relating to the item are told. Throughout the performance, “The dog” engages with the audience which made me feel more emotionally involved than had it just been a typical play. But, sure enough the light heartedness stops instantaneously. The severity of the rounding up of Jews is gripping and what follows felt intense as “The dog” recounts poignant moments as he grapples with his own identity as he tries to survive in a world where he is told that he doesn’t belong. There is no ending to spoil as it doesn’t end. There is no conclusion, no resolution for the audience to end on which I felt was the main takeaway. “The dog” gives us a few facts about Treblinka and the piece was left on a sombre note.
Despite a few technical issues, which was handled with light-heartedness and humour, luckily at the start of the performance, it didn’t feel awkward, and I think it was because the audience had already been interacted with. Had it been a typical performance, it could have easily taken the audience out of the moment.
The Jewish Dog is an interesting piece, not only due to an untold or thought of perspective, but because of how society is connected to dark times. It is so easy to bury the past but sometimes that is the wrong cause of action. Sometimes things need to be remembered so we can all learn and we can choose to do differently.