Overview
Synopsis
Based on a series of conversations and a lifetime of memories, playwright Dan Gordon’s play Irena’s Vow tells the little-known story of Irena Gut Opdyke. Irena was a young Polish-Catholic forced to serve as a housekeeper for Major Rugemer, a German military officer stationed in occupied Poland. After witnessing the brutal killing of a Jewish baby by an SS Officer, Irena vows to save the Jewish workers stationed in the Major’s house. Against all odds--and surviving several close calls--she manages to conceal all of them in the Major’s cellar until the end of the German occupation. Blackmail, raucous Nazi parties, and even the birth of a child can’t stand in her way. Irena’s true story is a shining example of how the human spirit can overcome the greatest of tragedies.
Show Information
- Book
- Dan Gordon
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 2008
- Genres
- Drama, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Period, Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- Poland, 1939-1944
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Ideal For
- community theatre, religious organization, professional theatre, university theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Elderly, Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Silent |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A scene that happens earlier than the main story, often to enhance that main storyline or reveal important information.
The systematic genocide of six-million Jewish people during World War II.
The SS initially served as Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler’s personal bodyguards, and later became one of the most powerful and feared organizations in all of Nazi Germany.
The war between the Axis and the Allies, beginning on September 1, 1939, with the German invasion of Poland and ending with the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, and of Japan on August 14, 1945.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher