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WWII Spies and Musical Musings

July 16, 2019
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Ungentlemanly Warfare: Musical Musings on WWII Female Spies

Tuesday, July 23rd at 7:00 pm 

 

The evening will be hosted by LNT’s Associate Managing Director and historian, Danielle Wirsansky, who will tell the stories of several women spies of WWII while accompanied by improvised musical underscoring by renowned musician, Arthur Zorn, on the piano. Wirsansky will give a brief history into the experience of female spies during this time and then delve into the specific life stories of such spies as Nancy Wake, Hannah Szenes, Noor Inayat Khan, and more.

 

Admission is free and open to the public, and donations will be accepted.

“The stories of female spies of this time have largely gone untold or been forgotten, which is a terrible tragedy considering the work they accomplished and all that they sacrificed,” said Wirsansky. “Having an opportunity to bring these women out of the shadows and into the light, to talk about their lives, how they ended up where they did, and what they accomplished is incredibly important. But beyond that, I want to help others to understand these women’s experience—because only then can their sacrifices and their achievements be truly acknowledged.”

This event is being held in conjunction with LNT’s Mainstage production of Cabaret, a musical that chronicles the rise of nationalism and Nazism in Weimar Germany. 

As Wirsansky leads the audience through the history of women’s involvement in espionage during the war, Zorn will underscore the words on the piano and take musical interludes to help heighten the emotion these stories evoke and allow audiences to digest and process the information.

 

About Danielle:

Danielle Wirsansky serves as the new Associate Managing Director of Lost Nation Theater. She was  the Founding Artistic Director of White Mouse Theatre Productions in Tallahassee, FL from 2016-2018. Outside of arts administration, Danielle is also a playwright/librettist. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. Outside of theater, Danielle is also a historian and received her MA in Modern European History from Florida State University. Her major field was WWII/the Holocaust and her minor field was Public History, which is historians teaching the public about history. She particularly focused on the experience of the female spies of the Special Operations Executive. Danielle’s Master’s thesis was titled “’Doing A Real Job’: The Evolution In Women’s Roles In British Society Through The Lens Of Female Spies, 1914-1945.”She proudly belongs to both the Georgia & Florida Associations of Historians and she served as the Research Assistant to Dr. Nathan Stoltzfus for several years.To learn more about her work, check out www.DanielleWirsansky.com!             

 

About Arthur:

Arthur Zorn attended the Manhattan School of Music and the High School of Music and Art. After graduating with special honors in music education from Lyndon State College (Vermont) in 1972, he began a long career as a educator, choir director, organist, soloist and composer.  Mr. Zorn began his professional art career with his premiere art show, Improvisations, in 2004 at the Bundy gallery in Waitsfield VT. This was the first public showing of his art workIn the June and July of 2008 Zorn and again in October, 2011 Mr. Zorn was the featured artist for the “Governor’s Art Exhibit” in Montpelier. He has 45 paintings on loan to the State of VT in the Pavilion State Office and Supreme Court buildings in Montpelier. Mr. Zorn’s art work has been on view in many local venues and art walks in Burlington and Montpelier.

 

 

Lost Nation Theater: winner “Best in New England”- Yankee Magazine, and named One of the Best Regional Theaters in America by NYC Drama League is Sponsored by Capitol Copy, City of Montpelier, Eternity, National Life Group, The Point-FM, The Times Argus, Great Eastern Radio, WDEV and The World, with media support from Seven Days.

 

See it.  Show Duration: Tuesday, July 23rd. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The performance begins at 7 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. Lost Nation Theater is wheelchair accessible, offers an assisted listening system, and large print programs.

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