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Remember My Name

Author

Joanna Halpert Kraus

Semester

Fall 2021

Venue

Psalm Center

Director

Tamara McGinnis

Cast

Emma Babcock, Wesley Brewer, Brycen Common, Quinn Coomer, Amber Davis, Luke Lawry, Jasmin Lee, Noah Linhart, Deborah Makinster, Mariah McGinnis, Micah Chong

A man and woman stand next to a girl in a dress, acting a scene from the play "Remember My Name."

Thoughts from the Director:

Remember My Name is a moving drama about a Jewish family in occupied France. Threatened by the arrival of the Nazis, a Jewish man manages to acquire one set of forged papers that allows his 10-year-old daughter, Rachel, to escape capture. The play follows Rachel’s journey as she learns to embrace her false identity and attempts to survive alone. The people she encounters along the way face a terrible choice: get involved, accepting the danger such association brings; support the Nazi agenda, ensuring self-survival; or turn away, pretending not to see any problem.

Remember My Name is both a great historical reminder of the cost paid when racial prejudice is practiced and a beautiful tribute to the difference individuals can make in troubling times.

Four people at a table: three women and one man, engaged in discussion during the "Remember My Name" play.
A man and woman seated on a red couch, portraying a scene from the play "Remember My Name."
A woman at a desk surrounded by books and a pen, for the play "Remember My Name."
A scene from "Remember My Name" featuring a Nazi man and shocked woman in costume on stage.
A man and woman are next to a table with a child sitting down, examining the child's scrapped knee for the play "Remember My Name."

Corban Theatre’s Remember My Name Offers More Than Entertainment to Audiences

“Things are replaceable. Lives are not.” ─ Léon Simon, Remember My Name 

Snippets of wisdom like this one, gleaned from the tragedy of our world’s historic past, ring out as poignantly as the opening gunshot of Joana Halpert Krauss’ award-winning play.  

Remember My Name follows the story of a young Jewish girl, renamed Madeleine Petit by her father, and her struggle to survive in war-torn France during WWII. From the chaos of the opening sirens, we are reminded of the ease of human hatred in any generation, but also of the stark impact of uncommon courage, generosity, and sacrifice displayed through the cast of characters that help Madeleine along the way.  

Directed by Tamara McGinnis, the drama leans heavily into the moral philosophy of courage in the face of evil and the power of human love displayed through sacrifice. From the moment the lights first reveal the stark stage setting, to the triumphant closing of the curtains, the players from Corban’s Theatre Department guide us through a narrative packed with meaning and wisdom that is applicable to today.  

Highlighted by the spirited trio of Madeleine Petit, Marie-Thérèse Barbière, and Suzanne Fleury, played by Jasmin Lee, Amber Davis, and Deborah Makinster respectively, Remember My Name is character-driven. As Corban’s cast interweaves and unpacks the complex character relationships forming on stage, the audience is subtly guided through the moral complexity and dilemma of Nazi-occupied France. What we are left with is a sincere examination of seldom-touched topics such as grief, loss, and human evil, lightened by the eventual triumph of commitment, courage, and love.  

Like young Madeleine in the play, these past years have left many of us waiting by the window, unable to fully grieve what has been lost. In moments like this, we can take comfort in the words of Marie-Thérèse Barbière. “When a river is swollen it floods,” she says as she tenderly encourages Madeleine to grieve rather than stifle her emotions and reminding her that “Nature knows more about healing than we do.” 

Krauss’ drama presents an environment that is at once rooted in the concrete and inescapable reality of Earth, and yet takes moments to approach the divine. In the face of human prejudice, which seems to have just as much relevance today as it did in the 1940s, we are reminded by Père Antoine, played by Brycen Common, that “differences down here don’t seem as important up there,” referring to heaven.  

Throughout the skilled performance, the audience is given the opportunity to sink into the drama and empathize at every step along the way. As a result, we share in both the sadness and celebration, remembering the early line by Madeleine’s father, “There are times when you can either laugh or cry. Léon Simon chooses to laugh.” This play promises both responses in equal measure.

Remember My Name offers a wide array of impact, meeting people where they are with its honesty and wisdom. Fans of drama, history, and narrative alike will not want to miss this production. We are ultimately left on a high note, as the play which began with a gunshot ends with a dance.