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Charlotte Salomon, Paula Salomon-Lindberg and Alfred Wolfsohn: a personal encounter, by Penny Kreitzer

In 2009 I created a one woman show in New York, based on the rehearsals that had taken place in 1982 in Jerusalem when The Jerusalem Drama Workshop created a multi-actor performance of Charlotte Salomon’s Leben? Oder Teater for the Israel Festival.

The Actors Rehearse the Story of Charlotte Salomon tells the story of what happened, when Charlotte’s stepmother, Paula, came to oversee our rehearsals.

In 1982, Paula was 86. Charlotte had perished in Auschwitz at age 26 and Alfred Wolfsohn had died in London, in 1962, from the effects of the mustard gas he had inhaled during the first World War. The information Paula gave is hers and that is what we have to go on.

The first hurdle is that Paula – an elegant, proud, educated and very powerful personality – had assumed that The Jerusalem Drama Workshop was in fact, The Jerusalem Theatre. The Jerusalem Theatre is a large, beautiful, elegant building in Jerusalem. The JDW had been given teaching and rehearsal quarters in a bomb shelter in a dusty park where dogs ran and children played on swings. It was underground, dark, with vinyl floors, and was quite a shock for Paula. But she came to understand that this was for our rehearsals only. The performance would take place at a respectable theatre in Jerusalem – the Khan Theatre and it was, indeed, part of the illustrious Israel Festival.

The second hurdle is that I was playing Paula in the production. Paula had been an accomplished opera singer, an alto in Berlin. After the war, she had taught well known opera singers in Amsterdam. To say that she was in shock at seeing and hearing me, was an understatement. She could not contain herself. “I would never have put my hands like this girl does.” She offered to give me singing lessons. Every morning she climbed up 74 stone steps to my apartment, sat down at the piano, and started the lesson. With sighs of exasperation and “Nein. Nein. Not so”, she finally exploded in a rehearsal and said “This girl is a good actress. But she has no voice. She should put on the recording of Kathleen Ferrier and mouth the words. Mouth the words. That is all that she can make.” A heated exchange ensued between Paula and my director, Joyce Miller. Joyce was intimidated by Paula but she had a stronger ethic to protect her actors. She let Paula have it in no uncertain terms. Ultimately Paula apologized and gave me a gold plated brooch in the shape of a “P” saying “P for Penny. Und P for Paula.” And so we established a kind of a friendship.

Paula was very much like Charlotte painted her. She had that straight-backed bearing. She had a huge presence. It is clear why Charlotte was enamored of her as a child and also kept her distance. Paula had a strong sense of right and wrong. In a letter to Frau Khan, Charlotte’s maternal grandmother who is called Frau Knarre in her “singspiel”, she wrote “Liebe Frau Knarre, I am writing to tell you that you may not visit Charlotte any longer. As her stepmother I am entrusted with all her well-being.”

Paula was extremely brave during those early Nazi years. She and Kurt Singer, whom Charlotte calls Professor Kling Klang, were instrumental in founding the Judischer Kulturbund. (Jewish Culture Association).

The Kulturbund was an organization that allowed Paula to provide work to Jews. This was a way to protect Jews who had lost their work from being arrested by the Nazis. “We put a violin into their hands even though they did not know how to play. So that they would be safe, in an orchestra, for a little while longer, while trying to escape.” Paula told me that she was extremely proud of the work with the Kulturbund. She saved lives.

Kurt Singer introduced Paula to Alfred Wolfsohn. Her version is that he came to her because of the Kulturbund. Wolfsohn’s version is that he gave her voice lessons. Her version is that “He had strange ideas of “teori und praktai.” He thought the voice should come from under the ground. “Like zoh und zoh.” She made deep sounds that seemed mocking and then added, “You do know that he was for one year – ill.” She was interested in his work on opening the soul but was very clear that without knowing how to “work the muscles” it was not possible to sing.

As the war progressed it was thought best to send Charlotte to stay with her grandparents in Villefranche-sur-Mer where they thought she would be safe. Finally, it was too late for Paula and Charlotte’s father, Albert. Paula and her husband were sent to Sachsenhausen in Germany and later to Westerbork, in Holland. Albert Salomon was a doctor. The Nazis saw him as being valuable. She told me that they were finally able to escape to the train station when she managed to get access to the Kommandant’s telephone. “I made my voice low. Zoh. I told the guard “Let Dr. Salomon pass”. It sounds rather remarkable. It is the story she told me. They survived. Kurt Singer perished in a concentration camp.

From the paintings of Daberlohn (Alfred Wolfsohn) and the amount of time Charlotte gives to his theories it seems there may have been a sexual relationship between the young Charlotte and Wolfsohn. Or it could have been her own strong fantasy about him. Paula was adamant that nothing had happened. She was just a young girl. For sure Charlotte was profoundly affected by him, his theories, and the attention he gave her. After her grandmother committed suicide it is clear that Charlotte had a choice: to go the way of her family or to do something “wildly eccentric.” It seemed clear to me, in doing the play, that Charlotte’s choice to create Art came from what she had learned from Wolfsohn. After the war, Paula took Charlotte’s paintings to London and showed them to Wolfsohn.

She said “He wept. He said “I did not know.”

– Penny Kreitzer

Penny Kreitzer is one of the “first 49” who came to Malérargues from London in 1974 and who will be reuniting in June 2024 to celebrate the jubilee anniversary. She is a professional actress and playwright. She was born in South Africa and now lives in California.

Commission a personalized quilt and support our fundraising campaign

We invite you to support the Centre’s Fundraising Campaign for the preservation of the archives by commissioning a personalized, hand-made work of art.

The textile artist M’Anne (Anne Pernell) is currently receiving orders for a new series of quilted wall hangings. You can send the artist personal photos as a reference for your quilt’s design, or you can choose photos from Ivan Midderigh’s Photographic Archives.

50% of the proceeds will be donated to The Archives Fundraising Campaign of the Centre Artistique International Roy Hart, and 50% to Rumbos Voice Studio’s Rosalie Scholarship to support voice students from Latin America.

Prices range from $300-600 USD + shipping, depending on the complexity and size of the design. The quilts are made from recycled fabric. Payment plans are possible.

If you’ve already made a donation to the Fundraising Campaign, and would like to commission a quilt, we can credit some or all of your previous payment towards your purchase. Contact @quilts_by_manne on Instagram with the message “I want to support The CAIRH Archives Fundraising Campaign” to get started!

News from Malérargue

Call for applications for SPRINGTERNS 2024: A collaborative project with the SCI Fondation de Malérargues (4-14 April 2024)

“Springterns” is an annual programme during which participants are hosted by the SCI to participate in hands-on activities and singing lessons. This year’s activities include work in the archives, château, and gardens in preparation for the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Roy Hart Theatre’s arrival at Malérargues, as well as daily group singing lessons. For further details and to submit your application to participate, please contact Ian Magilton at magiltonsci@gmail.com. Preference will be given to candidates with experience of Roy Hart Centre singing work and of Malérargues, in particular as interns.

Photos of previous years here.

50 Years of Theatre and Waste

Fifty years ago, while we were still in London our “Vision” for Malérargues was of a better quality of
life and theatre. I came to Malérargues to make theatre, but found myself almost immediately plunged into the challenge of sewage…. and I still am

Over the years we have made a lot of good theatre and we have cleaned up a lot of waste. There is still work to be done. In the interest of an efficient and healthy treatment of our waste water and sewage and to protect the environment we will only use bio-degradable cleaning products, soaps, and toilet paper at Malérargues, and we ask you to do the same. – Ian Magilton, co-Manager, SCI Fondation de Malérargues

Donations

The Centre Artistique International Roy Hart has launched a major fundraising campaign to fund the conservation of our archives and the creation of a dedicated website for online research. Donations can be made via PayPal or “HelloAsso”, a French payment site which guarantees that your data will not be commercialized. For further information and to make a donation please click here. Many thanks in advance for your support!