„They fought evil with good” – European premiere in Essen (Germany)

On Sunday, February 17th, the theatre hall of St. Clement Maria Hofbauer Church in Essen (Germany) hosted the European premiere of the Second World War Museum produced play „They fought evil with good”. The play is an effect of the „Changing the perspective” project, in which children are participants as well as actors.

A special guests of the evening were Jakub Wawrzyniak, Polish consul general in Cologne, Karol Nawrocki, WWII Museum director, Wojciech Poczachowski, Polish Institute in Düsseldorf director, and Rev. Johannes Wielgoß. The host of the festivity were Krzysztof Patok, a historian, teacher of Polish chldren in Essen, and Rev. Jerzy Wieczorek, parson at St. Clement’s. The audience paid homage to the memory of deceassed Prime Minister Jan Olszewski.

The play „They fought evil with good” had a very good reception in Germany. Numerous representatives of Polish Diaspora applauded the work of young artists, who vividly played scenes from Polish heroes’ biographies, those who offered their lives saving other people.

According to the words of Magdalena Gajewska, the director of the play (emloyee of the WWII Museum), the basic line of the plot are everyday stories of common children during the WWII, as well as episodes from lives of such inspiring persons as Janusz Korzak, Irena Sendler or St. Maximillian Kolbe.

Karol Nawrocki, WWII director, took part in the Polish history lesson for local children and then met Polish Diaspora members in Essen.