Playwright / Director’s Statement
My life’s work has been that of a storyteller, specifically, as a playwright. And plays are meant to teach by illuminating man’s relationship to the Gods, to man, and to himself. Working on the "Karski" project meant I had to delve into a history the Soviets tried to hide and a history that was an embarrassment to certain forces on the Allied side of WWII. The job of retrieval of history was, for me, heavy lifting, and transmitting this historical event was cathartic. I want the play to engage the audience and, like Jan Karski, I await the audience’s reactions to his question: "Now that you know the story, what are you going to do about it?"
I wish to personally acknowledge and thank Jan Karski (and his 1944 book, Story of A Secret State) and E. Thomas Wood, who co-authored, with Stanislaw M. Jankowski, Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust (1994). Both books contain an infinite amount of fascinating detail that no play could ever present on stage. I can only hope that my work points us not just to the past, but to a better world ahead.
-Marc P. Smith
Past Performances of "Karski"
"Karski"
Marc P. Smith’s newest play, "Karski", made its U.S. debut with preview performances, April 20-22, 2009 in Worcester and an international premiere, August 21, 2009 in Wroclaw, Poland.
The story of Polish resistance hero, Jan Karski, is a story whose time has come. Nearly 65 years following the end of World War II, stories of European resistance to the Nazis are just beginning to be told, including this compelling story of Karski, described as the man who tried to stop the Holocaust. Worcester performances at The Hibernian Cultural Centre included an opening night post-performance panel discussion with Boston College history professor Devin Pendas; Clark University doctoral student Jody Russell Manning; Honorary Polish Consul Marek Lesniewski-Laas; and playwright, Smith.