Dedication by Roger Peltzman Comes to the Catskills!

By Roger Peltzman

As writer, actor, producer and pianist, I’m thrilled to announce that the U.S. premiere of my one-person show, Dedication, will be at the Doctorow Center for the Arts in Hunter, NY from September 28 through September 30. This play with music is in category all its own in which I recount my family’s story of fleeing the Nazis and especially my mother’s dramatic escape, and my evolving “relationship” with my uncle, Norbert Stern, a brilliant pianist who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 21. In telling this story I emphasize the role of second generation trauma and how, in my case, music transcended tragedy leading to connection and healing. As with many Holocaust stories it is gripping and tragic, but told with love and, even at times, humor.

Dedication premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival of 2022. From there it was picked up by the Marleybone Theatre in London, where I performed it throughout June of this year. Both experiences were truly memorable and the critics enthusiastic. I was even nominated for a London Offie Award—the equivalent of a New York City Obie. But it was my interactions with the audiences every night that I will cherish the most.

These two venues, (London’s Marylebone Theater and Greenside in Edinburgh), both in the UK, had the advantage of garnering audiences from all over Europe. Many had family who perished in the Holocaust. Some had their own experiences with trauma and could identify with my journey of coming to terms with it. Many were Jewish—but just as many were not. Some were especially moved by the Chopin I played—which seemed to channel the spirit of my brilliant uncle. All were amazed by the rare photos displayed behind me during the show. And the one photo that especially moved everyone was of my 17-year old Jewish mother disguised as a nun in order to elude the Nazis. After each performance I spoke to many of these people often with tears in their eyes. They were moved by my family’s story, by my mother’s courage and by my obsession to make sure the world didn’t forget them. The gratification I felt at these moments is beyond description. It made all the hard work, traveling and fund raising truly worth it.

In February I will be bringing Dedication to Brussels and Berlin. These shows will be very emotional. It was in Brussels that my mother’s family was arrested and sent to the concentration camps and from where my mother miraculously survived the war. And, of course, Berlin was where the genesis of the final solution emanated from. Brussels will be a homecoming. In Berlin I will be representing my family. They will finally have the last word.

Dedication will be presented at the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Doctorow Center for the Arts, 7971 Main Street, Hunter, NY 12442. Shows are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 28-30 at 7:00 pm. Prices are $25 regular, $20 senior, and free to any high school student. To purchase tickets visit catskillmtn.org or maudeadamstheaterhub.org