Spring Break
Distinguished a cappella troupe re-enacts World War I cease fire
KATIE ANDREW
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Out & About
You may not find it in your history textbook. You might not find it in your war documentaries.
This was a freak occurrence, an implausible act of brotherhood in a place where such feelings are strictly forbidden - between enemy lines.
On Dec. 25, 1914, the Allied and German soldiers of the Western Front ceased the war machine of World War I, if only for a short time, to share the joys of the holidays with the very men they'd been ordered to slaughter.
Now, one of the most celebrated a cappella groups in this country, Cantus, will perform a dramatic reenactment of this little-known historical event in "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914."
"All the different countries that were represented in [World War I], on Christmas Day, formed truces up and down the front lines," said Cantus tenor and artistic co-director, Aaron Humble. "Some of them lasted weeks, others only a couple of hours."
According to historical documents, the soldiers shed their weapons by the thousands to trade gifts of tobacco and liquor.
Where: Hodgson Concert Hall at the Performing Arts Center
Cost: $15 (rear balcony), $20 (orchestra/front balcony); half price for student with valid UGAID
They also engaged in sing-alongs, soccer games and burying fallen soldiers - no matter which side they were on.
"The piece uses found texts, the actual words of men who had experienced this event - some in the form of diaries, poems, letters, official war documents and so on," said artistic director of Cantus, Erick Lichte.
"What Peter Rothstein did, the director and writer of the show, was more or less compile these texts and find the narratives for this story using the real words of these soldiers. It adds a great deal of power to what happened."
Cantus, a nine-member male ensemble, will complement the show's dialogue with a cappella songs.
This was a freak occurrence, an implausible act of brotherhood in a place where such feelings are strictly forbidden - between enemy lines.
On Dec. 25, 1914, the Allied and German soldiers of the Western Front ceased the war machine of World War I, if only for a short time, to share the joys of the holidays with the very men they'd been ordered to slaughter.
Now, one of the most celebrated a cappella groups in this country, Cantus, will perform a dramatic reenactment of this little-known historical event in "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914."
"All the different countries that were represented in [World War I], on Christmas Day, formed truces up and down the front lines," said Cantus tenor and artistic co-director, Aaron Humble. "Some of them lasted weeks, others only a couple of hours."
According to historical documents, the soldiers shed their weapons by the thousands to trade gifts of tobacco and liquor.
CANTUS: 'ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914'
When: 8 p.m. SaturdayWhere: Hodgson Concert Hall at the Performing Arts Center
Cost: $15 (rear balcony), $20 (orchestra/front balcony); half price for student with valid UGAID
They also engaged in sing-alongs, soccer games and burying fallen soldiers - no matter which side they were on.
"The piece uses found texts, the actual words of men who had experienced this event - some in the form of diaries, poems, letters, official war documents and so on," said artistic director of Cantus, Erick Lichte.
"What Peter Rothstein did, the director and writer of the show, was more or less compile these texts and find the narratives for this story using the real words of these soldiers. It adds a great deal of power to what happened."
Cantus, a nine-member male ensemble, will complement the show's dialogue with a cappella songs.
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