The Project

Northern Holland, 1943. Westerbork. A bleak muddy camp in a bleak muddy landscape. Bursting at the seams with angry worried people torn from their homes and surroundings.

And in this camp a miracle. A cabaret performed by the very best artists in Europe. A cabaret the courteous smiling camp commandant wouldn’t miss for the world. Just as he wouldn’t miss signing off the weekly transport that sends 1000 Jews to a frightening destination in the East.

A cabaret of comedy, dance and song and in particular one dancer who catches the commandant’s eye – the talented Anna Hilmann. Will she accept his invitation and dance for him? Is it a poisoned chalice or reason to hope? Will it keep her and her loved-ones off the dreaded transport list? And if it does is it a compromise worth making?

With a background based in historical fact, The Project looks at the terrible choices forced on people in a surreal world that has lost its moral compass.