Displeyst
a family docudrama about the search for home
“ A play that is more in keeping with the times than we can comfortably admit.”
Displeyst tells the true story of a well-to-do Jewish family, headed by matriarch Margaret Welisch. Fleeing Nazi persecution, Margaret took her family from Austria to the Philippines, only to have their life ripped apart again by the invasion of Japan.
Using Margaret's 1981 diary and oral histories from her daughters, Infinite Variety Productions has created a script showing that power and corruption can break apart an entire community, but love, family, and tradition can build a home anywhere.
An original production from Infinite Variety Productions
Written by Ashley Adelman with oral and written testimony from Margaret Welisch, Gitta Wachs & Stephen Ettinger
Run time of 75 minutes
Subject matter: the Holocaust, survival, family
Production History
May 2019: original workshopped production of Displeyst at Under St. Marks Theatre, New York City. Directed by Ashley Adelman. Stage Managed by Tobie Goldberg. Featuring Kate Szekely, Blake Irving, Caroline Peters, Niki Hatzidis, Andrew Dunn, and Marcy Agreen. Talk-backs featured two Holocaust survivors, Gitta Wachs (Margaret’s daughter) and Stephen Ettinger (Margaret’s grandson).
December 2020: a feature-length film of Displeyst was presented for the East Meadow Library. Directed by Jessica Schechter. Stage Managed by Tobie Goldberg. Starring Kate Szekely, Andrew Dunn, Kelly Teaford, and Ashley Adelman. Edited by Andrew Dunn.
