2021 Weekend in Quest – Circus Jews Under National Socialism: A Lecture/Performance

March 7, 2021

March 7, 2021 | 11am

2021 Weekend in Quest is a free virtual program that honors the roots of the program as a Shabbaton Study Weekend. This year’s program has shifted to a webinar format with Scholar in Residence Stav Meishar. 

When this event was originally posted, we said there would be materials going out within 24 hours of registering. This is no longer happening, so don’t worry if you haven’t received an email. The materials can be found here.

CIRCUS JEWS UNDER NATIONAL SOCIALISM: A LECTURE/PERFORMANCE, Scholar in Residence Stav Meishar

The true stories of Jewish circus artists between the world wars are told with sensitivity and humor by Stav Meishar, a circus artist and academic.

The lecture is based on over seven years of extensive research and combines photos from personal albums, recorded testimonies, and personal stories. Additionally, Meishar will present excerpts from her show “The Escape Act”, a show based on one of the stories she uncovered–that of a Jewish acrobat who survived the Holocaust hiding in a German circus.

This event will explore the lives of Jewish circus artists in Germany from 1880-1945 and the process of transforming historical research into performance. Join us for a glimpse into a little-known colorful and fascinating world!

Stav Meishar is a theatre maker, multidisciplinary performer, academic researcher, and educator, working across circus, theatre, and contemporary performance. Born and raised in Israel and now based out of both Bristol UK and New York City, Stav has spent the past two decades performing on professional theater and circus stages; on the ground and in the air; in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish; in works devised by herself and by others; all over Israel, America and Europe.

Excerpt from the show presented alongside the historical talk at the “Circus and Its Others” Conference in Prague, August 2018.

Stav is committed to pursuing the gestalt of circus, history, education, and social change. Her most recent project, The Escape Act: A Holocaust Memoir, is a one-woman show mixing puppetry, theatre, and circus steeped in seven years of historical research. It is based on the true story of a Jewish acrobat who survived the Holocaust hiding at a German circus and examines questions of antisemitism and multigenerational-trauma. When Stav isn’t performing she directs Dreamcoat Experience, the award-winning organization she founded, which uses Performing Arts as tools for teaching progressive Judaism. She also founded Petite Mort Productions, a performance company committed to developing original multidisciplinary works. A proud queer Jew, she answers to both she/her and they/them.

This is the first year that Weekend in Quest is held under the auspices of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. The program was arranged by the Weekend in Quest planning committee, chaired by Mimi Epstein and we are grateful to be working with them.

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We are grateful for your participation and encourage you to consider supporting our virtual programs.

 

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