The sacred, the profane, and the space in between: site-specific performance at Auschwitz

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe concept of performance in the concentration camps is not a new one. Rovit and Goldfarb (1999) have chronicled a range of inmate performances from the cabarets of Theresienstadt to the variety shows at Auschwitz-Birkenau, created for many diverse reasons. Yet since the liberation of the camps there has been virtually no theatrical performance in these sites of memory. The very notion is generally seen as taboo, but the reasons for this are somewhat vague and appear to centre around the widespread idea of performance as ‘frivolous’; to perform within a concentration camp would be to somehow deface Holocaust memory and mock the suffering of those imprisoned there. Such ‘profane’ performance can be located within the ‘selfie’ photographs of tourists visiting the camps. But what of the daily shows that take place in the guise of guided tours – ‘sacred’ performances? What makes these performances acceptable to the public and the camp authorities, when theatrical performances are not? Can there ever be an acceptable theatrical performance within a concentration camp?Taking Auschwitz-Birkenau as a case study, this article seeks to address these questions through a considered discussion of ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ performances in the camp. It begins by outlining the components of the guided tour, from the learned script of the guide to the ‘promenade performance’ nature of the space, and what makes this a ‘sacred’ performance. It defines the ‘profane’ performance hypothesis through a reflection upon several examples of tourist photographs taken within Auschwitz. It questions where site-specific theatrical performance would fall within these parameters through an interrogation of aspects including its purpose, the identity of the performers, the (intended) audience, and the short- and long-term ramifications for the performance and the camp. Ultimately, this article probes whether site-specific performance at Auschwitz could ever be efficacious and anything but profane.