Talkback series curated by FASPE
Tectonic Theater Project and Berkeley Rep have partnered with the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE), the production’s content and conversation partner, to curate a series of postshow discussions with leading ethicists and scholars to discuss the complex issues raised in Here There Are Blueberries — and consider their relevance for today. Join us after the show.
The Transformation of Norms and Complicity as the New Normal
The play opens a window into the norms of Nazi perpetrators and complicit professionals. In the 1930s and 1940s, German society experienced a gradual, comprehensive, ever-accelerating transformation of its system of ethical and moral values among doctors, lawyers, accountants, and more. Their role is central to the play, and raises pressing questions about contemporary professional ethics.
Panelists: David Goldman, Chair, FASPE; and Sonner Kehrt, Investigative Reporter, The War Horse News, FASPE Journalism Fellow (2017)
The Next Generation: How Do We Deal with the Sins of Our Fathers?
How can seemingly normal people commit horrific acts during weekdays and enjoy family and professional relaxation on weekends? Can evil be compartmentalized? Could the Kommandant of Auschwitz have been a good father to his children — who lived in a comfortable villa a short distance from their father’s office at Auschwitz?
Panelists: Scott Barrow, Actor (Karl Höcker and Others), Here There Are Blueberries; Andrew M. Davis, PhD, Program Director, The Center for Process Studies, FASPE Clergy Fellow (2017); and David Goldman, Chair, FASPE
Mengele at Auschwitz
Josef Mengele is perhaps the most recognizable figure among the many photographs that make up the album which is at the center of Here There are Blueberries. Made famous by his portrayal in movies, novels, and plays, Dr. Josef Mengele has emerged as a grotesque caricature that threatens to obscure the frightening man that he was. Join the author of Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death in conversation with Sonner Kehrt as they discuss the man behind the myth.
Panelists: Sonner Kehrt, Investigative Reporter, The War Horse News, FASPE Journalism Fellow (2017); and David G. Marwell, PhD, author of Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death, FASPE Board Member
The Transformation of Norms and Complicity as the New Normal
The play opens a window into the norms of Nazi perpetrators and complicit professionals. In the 1930s and 1940s, German society experienced a gradual, comprehensive, ever-accelerating transformation of its system of ethical and moral values among doctors, lawyers, accountants, and more. Their role is central to the play, and raises pressing questions about contemporary professional ethics.
Panelists: David Goldman, Chair, FASPE; and Bella Ryb, PhD Student, Stanford Program in Modern Thought Literature, FASPE Law Fellow (2022)
Why Continue to Study the Holocaust?
Auschwitz was liberated 80 years ago; we have seen genocides since 1945. Why do we continue to study the Holocaust; why does the Holocaust remain so much a part of contemporary pedagogy, literature, ethics and more? What is the role of Holocaust study in a post-survivor world?
Panelists: David Goldman, Chair, FASPE; David G. Marwell, PhD, author of Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death, FASPE Board Member; and Franciska Obermeyer, Deputy Consul General, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, San Francisco
Mengele at Auschwitz
Josef Mengele is perhaps the most recognizable figure among the many photographs that make up the album which is at the center of Here There are Blueberries. Made famous by his portrayal in movies, novels, and plays, Dr. Josef Mengele has emerged as a grotesque caricature that threatens to obscure the frightening man that he was. Join the author of Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death in conversation with Sonner Kehrt as they discuss the man behind the myth.
Panelists: David Goldman, Chair, FASPE; and David G. Marwell, PhD, author of Mengele: Unmasking the Angel of Death, FASPE Board Member
FASPE challenges its professionals to recognize and exercise their ethical and leadership responsibilities. FASPE’s distinctive approach is to examine the roles and behavior of individual professionals in Germany and elsewhere between 1933 and 1945 as an initial framework for approaching ethical responsibility in the professions today. Each year, FASPE awards 80 to 90 Fellowships to graduate students and early-career professionals in Business, Clergy, Design & Technology, Journalism, Law, and Medicine. The Fellowships begin with intense study in Germany and Poland, where FASPE takes advantage of the urgency created by the power of place to translate the history into the present.
FASPE has been a content and conversation partner to the Tectonic artistic team throughout the development of Here There Are Blueberries, providing historical context and curating engagement events for audiences.
Art courtesy Tectonic Theater Project