★★★★★ “A captivated full-house audience went from tears to breath held in suspense to roaring laughter.” -Edmonton Journal
Ingrid Garner, 16X award-winning creator of ‘Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl In Hitler’s Germany’, delivers a fascinating sequel to her grandmother’s acclaimed memoir. After surviving WWII as an American caught in Berlin, teenage Eleanor struggles to navigate U.S. high school while haunted by war memories.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder serves as a theatrical device to contrast a plentiful America with Eleanor’s flashbacks of a ravaged Germany. Despite her newfound safety, an innocent sound or word can trigger a terrible recollection. The performance offers a fascinating look at the intricacies of coping with trauma, survivor’s guilt, family separation, and culture shock. While it presents a unique perspective (an American returning home after coming of age in a war zone) Eleanor’s struggle to assimilate into a peaceful society is all too familiar for today’s international refugees. The war may be over, but the battle within has just begun.
*It is not necessary to have seen the original show to enjoy this sequel.
Sponsor: Ingrid Garner