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Boise Contemporary Theater

"All is Calm" chronicles the Christmas Truce of 1914

The so-called "Christmas Truce of 1914" is nearly mythological. But indeed, on Christmas Solar day, 1914 a German soldier stepped out into what was known equally "No Man's Land," the narrow patch of battleground between the many trenches, holding opposing troops, and began to sign "Stille Nacht (Silent Night)."

What followed was remarkable and is the discipline of a unique co-production for the holiday flavor, from Boise Contemporary Theater and Opera Idaho.

"I call up it'southward a healing piece," said Mark Junkert, general director at Opera Idaho. "I'm very grateful and thankful for this moment of communion."

Junkert and BCT's Tracy Sunderland, All is Calm's director, visited with Forenoon Edition George Prentice to talk about the production and it emotional resonance.

"War is present at the starting time and end; simply it'due south a cease fire with gifts, poetry and melody. And I remember information technology shows us that we equally human beings are capable of this."

Read the full transcript beneath:

GEORGE PRENTICE: It is Morning time Edition on Boise State Public Radio News. Good forenoon. I'm George Prentice. At that place are… well, quite a few stage productions for the holidays, near of them familiar, but Boise Contemporary Theater is co-producing something....along with Opera Idaho… something unique for this holiday season. The production is titled All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Tracy Sunderland is the production'due south director at BCT and Marking Junkert is the Full general Director at Opera Idaho. Tracy. Marking, proficient morning.

MARK JUNKERT: Good morning.

TRACY SUNDERLAND: Morning. For having united states of america.

PRENTICE: And so let'south talk about this unique collaboration. Mark, how? How did this happen?

JUNKERT: I came across the work, All Is Calm, when opera companies started presenting it and probably sometimes in collaboration work was written in 2007 by Peter Rothstein, who runs theater Latté DA in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I had known him before I came to Idaho here. I was intrigued by his work. One, when I came across the work and saw that opera companies were doing it, I realized that we needed help if we wanted to produce information technology because it had… while it does take singing in it, which we can accomplish quite hands. It too has a lot of text. These are letters written past soldiers writing to home and texts… and not merely texts, just texts in a diversity of dialects. And this is not something that nosotros practise traditionally in the opera globe. So, I thought I'd approach Ben with this idea of collaborating on this. And he liked the thought.

PRENTICE: Tracy indeed, the Christmas Truce of 1914 is a true story. I call up my granddad telling me this story, but I notwithstanding don't think many people know this rather astonishing story virtually Christmas. So, what can you tell the audience nigh it?

Brett Johnson

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Boise Contemporary Theater

SUNDERLAND: Well, it is certainly a truthful story, and the production is based on this true moment. And during World War I, very early on in the beginning yr in which the soldiers… in this trench warfare, which dominated this particular war, sometimes the trenches were and then shut together that on quiet evenings or in still moments when they weren't fighting, the soldiers could actually hear each other, the Germans and the English. They were shut enough to be able to hear each other across no man's state. The space separating these two camps are the 2 armies and one Christmas Eve, the Christmas Eve of 1914, the English soldiers heard…and they would oftentimes sing songs normally only to keep their morale up. Merely they heard the German soldiers singing their Christmas carols similar O Tannenbaum and Silent Dark in German, and the songs drifted upwardly over no man'southward land. And the English language soldiers heard them singing those songs, and they began to bring together in in English, and the singing together prompted them to take a adventure and put downward their arms and step into no man's land and declare kind of a de facto truce for a moment. And they spent the night together in this place of war, singing songs and having a bonfire and sharing mementos and time together and even playing a game of football as research has… the record has it, that before headquarters got a hold of it, before HQ got wind of it and called an end to this truce. This moment of peace between the armies and sent the men back to the trenches the next solar day.

PRENTICE: I'm getting goosebumps just thinking most this. So, Tracy, this has to be a pretty emotional project for the participants.

SUNDERLAND: Yeah, information technology is. I hateful, it'due south certainly a special project… and we experience it securely in the sense that information technology is probably one of the more truly ensemble based pieces that I've worked on. So I remember they feel deeply connected to the material, as do I. Merely we also have to continue it aloft and share it with the audiences, and so we endeavour non to cry too much during the bodily rehearsals. But yes, it was a very, very tender, wondrous, miraculous moment in the center of the war.

PRENTICE: Marking, I'm thinking of some of these songs being sung by professionals in your company… my goodness.

SUNDERLAND: Yeah, it'southward a combination of singing and acting, and it'south been very fun to scout the performers who have different strengths in those areas come together and  manage the music, which is difficult music, actually. It is choral music, substantially, the work was written for a group chosen Cantu's, I don't know if you're familiar with them, just many people know Chanticleer, which is a San Francisco based male singing grouping contest, similar Minneapolis based singing group. And it was originally conceived for them almost every bit a radio play. And in fact, it was broadcast nationally over Minnesota Public Radio in the kickoff year of its existence in 2007, and they basically stood there and sang and delivered the spoken parts without much acting, and the rights reverted back to the theater in 2014. And since then it's become a theatrical production. So you lot have this mix of these worlds. Information technology'due south been fascinating to lookout.

PRENTICE: When information technology played off Broadway, the New York Times called information technology "beautiful," and Broadway World said information technology was quoting here, "extraordinarily moving and beautifully realized." Tracy, when can we see this? What are the remaining dates of the product?

SUNDERLAND: We pick upwards again on Wednesday, and performances run Wednesday through Saturday, with a Sat matinee, through December 19th, and you tin can go tickets at BCTheater.org or just call the box role.

PRENTICE: It's then interesting that it is almost war… and however I'm thinking information technology'southward very appropriate for families.

SUNDERLAND: It really is. In that location'south much that will appeal, I think, beyond generations.

JUNKERT: You know, I remember information technology's interesting considering it's a Christmastime thing, but it's non a normal… I mean, it's in the middle of state of war. And then, state of war is nowadays at the beginning and end. Only it's a cease burn down with gifts, poetry and melody. And I think it shows us that we every bit human beings are capable of this.

PRENTICE: Marker, I'm thinking of Christmases past with your company and productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors;  and Tracy. All of the dissimilar Christmas productions over the years at BCT. And here you lot are at this crossroads. Hither nosotros all are at this crossroads. This sounds, Tracy…mayhap it's serendipitous… but maybe the show nosotros need to run into to.

SUNDERLAND: Yep, I think it'southward a healing slice, I gauge. And certainly I'm very grateful and thankful for this moment of communion, and I hope people that can come share that communion of the story… and being able to exist together in the theater space and listen to some beautiful interim and beautiful music…I hope and then.

PRENTICE: Tracey Sunderland, Mark Junkert:  Happy holidays to yous both. And they bring u.s.a. All Is Calm at BCT, and performances selection upwards again on Wednesday. They run Wednesdays through Sundays through Sunday, the 19th. Thanks so much for giving us some time this morning time.

SUNDERLAND: Thanks so much.

JUNKERT: Thanks, George.

Detect reporter George Prentice on Twitter@georgepren

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Source: https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/arts-culture/2021-12-07/all-is-calm-idaho-opera-boise-contemporary-theater-world-war-one-silent-night-stille-nacht

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