Invisible Theatre “WIESENTHAL”

The Invisible Theatre continues its 51st Anniversary Season with WIESENTHAL

Written by and Starring
Tom Dugan

Directed by
Jenny Sullivan

TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY!

Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 2:00 PM

The Berger Performing Arts Center
1200 W. Speedway Blvd

The Invisible Theatre continues its 51st Anniversary Season with WIESENTHAL written by and starring Tom Dugan. This award winning Off-Broadway play is the riveting story of an ordinary man that did extraordinary things. Simon Wiesenthal was a Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor who became a Nazi hunter after the war so they could be brought to trial. Sometimes referred to as “The Jewish James Bond”, Simon Wiesenthal escaped death at the hands of Hitler’s S.S., lost 89 family members, and devoted more than six decades to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. Part memoir and part spy thriller, WIESENTHAL is a heartfelt, deeply moving, and compelling play that resonates with hope, humanity, and humor.

Made possible in part Through the Generous Support of
The Elizabeth and Milton Kahn Philanthropic Fund and
The Tucson Jewish Community Center

Please call (520) 882-9721 for reservations and information or go to www.invisibletheatre.com for online ticket sales

WIESENTHAL, written by and starring Tom Dugan, will play for two performances only on January 14 – 15, 2023 at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 West Speedway Blvd, Tucson, Arizona.

The single show ticket price is $45. Additional discounts are available for groups, seniors, active military, and students. All seats are reserved, and reservations are required.

The running time is 90 minutes with no intermission.

A Q&A discussion with Tom Dugan will follow the performance.

WIESENTHAL is recommended for ages 13 and above.

Tickets are available for purchase
by calling the Invisible Theatre Box Office at( 520) 882-9721
and are also available 24/7 on-line at www.invisibletheatre.com.

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE?

Tom Dugan is a Los Angeles based playwright/actor who has been honored with many awards and nominations (New York Drama Desk Award, New York Outer Critics Circle Award, Los Angeles Ovation Award, and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award). His one-man play WIESENTHAL has enjoyed productions in Israel, India, Australia, Italy, and Mexico and the playscript, published by Besheret Book, is currently available on Amazon. A feature film based on the Off-Broadway production of WIESENTHAL produced by Daryl Roth and directed by Jenny Sullivan is currently in development. Mr. Dugan’s piece TEVYE IN NEW YORK! (“magical”-LA Times) based on the characters of Sholom Aleichem, premiered at The Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center in Beverly Hills in 2021, and will begin touring in the Fall of 2022. Mr. Dugan’s other plays include TELL HIM IT’S JACKIE (“Scorching”-Theater Notes), and THE GHOSTS OF MARY LINCOLN (Spellbinding” LA Times). Mr. Dugan’s newest three-character play, CEMETERY PUB, premiered in Los Angeles in 2022. For more information contact Tom.dugan@outlook.com.

Jenny Sullivan (Director) After directing the world premiere of WIESENTHAL with Tom Dugan, Jenny went on to direct three more critically acclaimed solo pieces: TEA AT FIVE with Stephanie Zimbalist as Katherine Hepburn, THE MEMOIRS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN with Granville Van Dusen (Falcon Theatre) and SPIT LIKE A BIG GIRL with Clarinda Ross (Rubicon Theatre). Ms. Sullivan’s extensive Theater credits include work at: The Wallis Annenberg Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Royal Manitoba Theatre, The Acorn Off-Broadway, Long Wharf, Williamstown, Laguna Playhouse, Center Rep, Rubicon & Ensemble Theatre of SB. Jenny is most proud of the premiere of her play J FOR J starring opposite Jeff Kober and the late great John Ritter.

Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005) was a famous Austrian-Jewish Holocaust survivor and human rights activist, who for over half a century tracked down and brought to justice more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals hiding around the world. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, located in Los Angeles, is named in
his honor.

WHY IS SIMON WIESENTHAL’S
LEGACY IMPORTANT?
During the Second World War over 6 million Jews, gypsies, Soviet prisoners-of-war, trade unionists, homosexuals and Jehovah’s witnesses were mass murdered in internment camps in Germany and Eastern Europe, run by the Nazi party.

Adolf Eichmann was a German Nazi S.S. lieutenant colonel, and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust. He managed the mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps throughout the war. In particular, he oversaw the deportation of the Jews in Hungary, most of whom were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and killed on arrival. Towards the end of the war, Eichmann said that he would “leap laughing into the grave because the feeling that he had five million people on his conscience would be for him a source of extraordinary satisfaction”. He fled the country after Germany’s defeat in 1945 and eventually used false papers to escape to Argentina in 1950 where he lived until he was discovered by Israel’s intelligence agency, which confirmed his location in 1960. After a huge media trial, Eichmann was found guilty of 15 criminal charges, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against the Jewish people, and was hung on May 31, 1962. Simon Wiesenthal said, “The world now understands the concept of ‘desk murderer’. We know that one doesn’t need to be fantastical, sadistic, or mentally ill to murder millions; that it is enough to be a loyal follower eager to do one’s duty”.

Wiesenthal and other survivors had dedicated their lives to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. Wiesenthal learned of a letter shown to him in 1953 that Eichmann had been spotted in Buenos Aires and passed the information on to the Israeli consulate in 1954. Still undiscovered, Wiesenthal ordered private detectives to secretly take photos of Adolf’s brother, Obo, at their father’s funeral in 1960, as it was supposed the two brothers had a very close resemblance, and no current photos of Adolf Eichmann existed. These photographs were then passed on to the Israeli agents in February and Eichmann was later discovered in May 1960, not far from his home in
Buenos Aires.
Aker Wiesenthal’s liberation from Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, Wiesenthal brought over 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice, dedicating his life to thorough research and investigation. After the capture of Eichmann, Wiesenthal reopened the Jewish Documentation Centre in Vienna, which he had previously established to assemble evidence of Nazi war criminals but had closed during the Cold War. This was a small office in the old Jewish quarter in Vienna, with open files on roughly 2000 cases. However, Wiesenthal estimated that there were approximately 150,000 Nazis involved in war crimes and his archives were just “the tip of the iceberg”.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR FOR INFORMATION

To charge tickets by phone, call our Box Office at (520) 882-9721.
To buy tickets online 24/7, go to http://www.invisibletheatre.com
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted.

COVID PROTOCOLS:
The health and safety of our artists, audiences and staff continues to be our top priority. While masks, full vaccination and booster shots are no longer required, they are strongly recommended. Please note that these health and safety measures are subject to change, at Invisible Theatre’s sole discretion and are based on evolving health and safety guidance and conditions.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS:
The Berger Performing Arts Center is fully accessible to patrons using wheelchairs or with other mobility challenges. Seating areas to accommodate persons using wheelchairs are located in the theatre. If patrons require special seating, they should inform the Box Office at (520) 882-9721.