| The gay scene in
Germany during its Weimar rule (1919 to 1933) marks one of the most liberal periods of any
culture during modern times. During the 1920's, it is supposed, there were more gay bars
and periodicals in Berlin than there are now in New York City. It was during this time
also that the first Gay Liberation and Women's Liberation movements were formed. This was an age of decadence, and age of nationwide embarrassment, according
to Hitler, whose ascension to power was complete in January, 1933. Riding on a wave of
pro-German sentiment, in the wake of economic collapse, Hitler assimilated almost every
stratum of German society including much of its gay culture and became the voice of the
Nazi party. His target: the youth of Germany. His rhetoric: the need for
"change" in German society.
To this day, Hitler remains the quintessence of
political showmanship. Remaining in relative secrecy, however, is the way Hitler suddenly
turned against the homosexual population, the way homosexuals suddenly became the object
of virulent persecution; often overlooked is the fact that homosexuals, possibly
representing the so-called decadence of Weimar, occupied a rank even lower than that of
the Jewish population during the holocaust.
Their persecution by the Nazis is dramatized in
"Bent", a play which opened on Broadway in 1979 and receives its Omaha premiere
on September 20 at the Firehouse Dinner Theater. At the play's center is the historic
night of June 30, l934 -- also known as Night of the Long Knives -- a night which marks
the first instance of gay genocide, when Hitler's predominantly homosexual SA (Storm
Troops) was systematically executed by the predominantly heterosexual SS.
The central character, Max, played by Eric O'Brien, is
present on the night of the massacre. The Play focuses first on his attempts to avoid the
Gestapo, then on his struggle to stay alive while imprisoned in the Dachau concentration
camp, where many homosexuals were sent. Marked with a pink triangle on the left breast,
imprisoned gays were often persecuted even by their fellow inmates, sometimes murdered;
many were forced to steal and wear the yellow star of David, the concentration camp mark
of the Jews, in order to save themselves.
"This has been an eye-opening piece for me,"
said O'Brien, who researches every part he plays. "It's disturbing but educational
and, I think, kind of necessary. I just hope people walk away from this play with an
awakening to the things they may have tried to repress.
O'Brien said the play demonstrates the way
homosexuality is often treated as a disease or perversion. And he isn't afraid to draw
certain parallels to our own country and its struggle with repression and persecution.
"That's part of why the play is so relevant even
today," he said. "It's history, sure, but not a thing of the past. Look at
Germany's economic condition when Hitler came to power; look at the factors that made
Nazism possible. National pride played a big part. These are things we still deal with
today.
While being performed at the Firehouse,
"Bent" is not one of its regular productions. The play was selected and
assembled by Omaha's De Moreland; another active member of community theater, who had been
looking for an opportunity to stage "Bent" for quite some time. She and UNO
theater senior Alicia McGarr directed a cast of ten volunteers, while the Firehouse Dinner
Theater donated its stage.
It's the kind of theater that doesn't get done in
Omaha a lot," said O'Brien, "It's very draining. Playing the character of Max, I
found myself asking: What would you be willing to do to stay alive? I hope the audience
makes the same kinds of discoveries that I made."
The performances which run September 20 through 23 at
8 p.m., are a benefit for the Nebraska AIDS Project. Tickets are $10 and $20 and can be
purchased through both the Firehouse and TIX |
