It is 1944. Former Kabarett singer Elke Gruenbaum, and her 15-year-old daughter, Heidemarie, find themselves imprisoned at Theresienstadt Ghetto, a Jewish transit camp situated in northern Bohemia. To survive, they must swallow down the daily diet of fear and hardship, else risk the deportation to one of the much-feared ‘work’ camps in the east.   

When Elke is unexpectedly re-united with an old acquaintance in the camp, now a high-ranking SS officer, she is given the task of producing a theatre show. A propaganda event to be staged for a delegation of visiting Red Cross dignitaries. Feeling she has no choice but to accept, Elke and her troupe of once-eminent actors dedicate themselves to the production. But out of the gaze of the authorities, a far different show emerges, one that will expose the true horrors of life in the camp and rally the Allied Forces into action.  

 The Camp offers a tender portrait of the atrocities faced by Jewish people during World War II. It is a story of strength and survival, of integrity and fortitude, and a testament to the transformative power of the arts to sustain the human soul.

The Camp

A documentary detailing the making of 'The Camp' radio play.

Ekbignell