Imagine being confined to a room the size of a cellar with your family. Now imagine that to leave means to risk not only your own life and but the lives of everyone you hold dear. HAUS explores the concept of this reality, with a Polish family seeking shelter in a cellar to escape persecution during WWII. It asks audiences to consider what life would really be like under these conditions and to keep in mind that for some, this has been reality.
Directed by Neil Khare and written by Dimitrios Armatas, the play was inspired by Armatas’ fascination with WWII history, the story of Anne Frank, and also partly by his own Greek grandmother’s history of being forced to live underground with her family to escape the Italian army.
The entire play is set within a single room, which allowed the Armatas and the actors to get creative with their storytelling. “It was a challenge and a benefit,” says Armatas. “The claustrophobia meant that the characters understood what these people would have been going through…but it didn’t allow for outside thoughts.”
Fundamentally, Armatas’ play centres around love, loss and family. “[It’s about] how you can’t stand being around each other but for the greater good and survival, you have to stick together and use everyone’s skill to make sure you live to see tomorrow.” (SW)
Nov 5-15, King Street Theatre, 644 King St, Newtown (Enter on Bray St), $15-$27, 0423 082 015, trybooking.com
Written by Siri Williams
