New Holocaust play will open next spring

A new play that deals with a little-known occurrence during the Holocaust will be produced and will premiere in Youngstown.
J & amp;B Production Arts Services and B'nai B'rith will team up to produce "Block 5," the latest offering from local playwright, producer and director J. E. Ballantyne Jr.
The play is set to premiere May 20, 2005, at the Oakland Center for the Arts. It will likely run two or three weekends. Special school performances will also be scheduled the week of May 22 to help commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day on May 5.
The play is based on an occurrence at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria in the winter of 1943. Ballantyne described the occurrence as "sadistic," according to the production company, which would not reveal more details about the plot.
Dark history
During World War II, Mauthausen was one of the most dreaded camps next to Auschwitz. The camp was not known for gassing people; instead, it had "the staircase of death," a stone stairway at the rock quarry where the camp was built. Prisoners were forced to carry heavy rocks up the steps; many died from the weight of the stones or were killed by guards. The stairway helps to form a backdrop for the play.
The script calls for 13 strong male actors. The roles require extended strong performances because most of the cast is onstage for the entire show, the production company said; Ballantyne plans on auditioning the show in stages, with the first round of auditions in September.
For more information about the play or auditions, call the production company at (330) 799-6176.