Under the Skin

Based on a true story
Tel-Aviv, 1991. Kirsten, a young German reporter, arrives at Charlotte’s door. Through probing questions, Kirsten seeks to unveil the suppressed ghosts from Charlotte’s past, centered around her once-promising career as a Jewish Prima Ballerina, abruptly cut short in her prime.

As the evening progresses, Charlotte unveils a love affair she had with her lesbian Nazi SS commander, Ilse Kohlmann, at Neugraben concentration camp. Charlotte shares with Kirsten the complexities of their relationship and the profound impact it had on her.



Germany, 1945. As the war nears its end and her prisoners are transferred to Bergen Belsen, Ilse Kohlmann, donning a prisoner uniform, willingly infiltrates into the hellish death camp to share the same fate as her lover.

Throughout the play, there are flashbacks in which the roles of the German reporter and Charlotte interchange, with Kirsten portraying the young prisoner, and the Holocaust survivor embodying the persona of the Nazi woman. This narrative device compels the audience to confront the intricacies of love and survival during one of history’s darkest periods.

Historical research


The play is based on the true story of a love affair between the lesbian Nazi officer Anneliese Kohlmann and one of her female Jewish prisoners in Neuengamme concentration camp.

It is based on Kohlmann's Belsen trial transcript, and on Holocaust survivors' testimonies, including the testimony of Ruth Bondy, a well-known Israeli writer, translator and journalist.

This historical pictures shows women guards shortly after their arrest at Bergen Belsen, 02 May 1945. The first three are wearing their Nazi uniforms while Kohlmann is in a poorly fitted men's uniform because, when arrested, she was wearing a prisoner's clothing.

Reviews

characters

Three Actresses

translations

Italian, English, German, Czech, Russian

Productions

Gay Center Theatre
Director: Rakefet Binyamin

Beit Zvi, Director's Exercise
Director: Debbie Jablonka

Old Red Lion Theatre
Tristan Bates Theatre
Women and War Festival
Camden Fringe Festival
Brighton Fringe Festival
Director: Ariella Eshed

TheaterArche
Director: Bruno Kratochville

Nuovo Teatro delle Commedie
Director: Michele Giuzzi

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