The Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fullerton presents this fundraiser performance by award-winning theatre-maker Ingrid Garner. This internationally acclaimed hit is a standalone sequel to her grandmother Eleanor Ramrath Garner’s best-selling memoir, Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany. 50% of ticket sales & 100% of raffle tickets & additional donations will go to Camino Immigration Services, an incredible local organization that serves families affected by ICE.
Eleanor’s Story: Life After War follows teenage Eleanor’s return to the U.S. in 1946, after surviving WWII as an American enemy alien trapped in Berlin, Germany. Finally home, her attempts to assimilate into a society untouched by war leave her feeling like a foreigner, echoing the struggle of modern refugees caught between difficult memories and the routine of daily life.
In the performance, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is used as a theatrical device to contrast a plentiful America with Eleanor’s flashbacks of a ravaged Germany. Despite her newfound safety, an innocent sound or word can trigger a terrible recollection. She longs to return to life “before,” but instead faces the daunting task of rebuilding in a new reality.
Eighty years later, Eleanor’s granddaughter creates living history on stage, embodying her ancestors in a dynamic performance accompanied by cinematic sound and lighting, and punctuated with humor. The play offers a fascinating look at the intricacies of coping with trauma, family separation, survivor’s guilt, and culture shock. The war may be over, but the battle within has just begun.
*It is not necessary to have read the book or have seen the previous adaptation to enjoy this sequel.
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 109 E Wilshire Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832
SATURDAY, November 8 at 4:00pm
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