artistic-educational project in Czech-german coproduction
JUST A PIECE is a project of authorial theater performance on the topic of hard labour in the Zittwerke factories (Semily/Czech Republic and Zittau/Germany) for Junkers engines for German combat aircraft. The purpose of the project is to use artistic form to commemorate and convey the topic of forced labour for the arms industry on both sides of the border during World War II and also to confront this topic with the current situation of right-wing radicalisation.
Zittwerke Factory, Germany 
Zittwerke Factory, Czechia
As a result of Allied bombing of key war industries during World War II, Junkers moved the assembly of its Messerschmidt engines out of reach of Allied aircraft. Factories were built near Zittau and in Semily, among others. Like many other industries in Germany, Junkers relied on forced labor. The Semily plant was mostly made up of Czech citizens, while the Zittau plant was made up of various nationalities from the West (e.g. the Netherlands) and the East (e.g. Russia). The plant operators also had people brought in from concentration camps. The workers were granted various rights and freedoms: While workers from the West could move around the region almost freely, those from the East were further restricted and had to deal with a larger population per room. Jewish workers were exposed to significantly greater oppression and violence, as well as constant surveillance. Many workers did not know exactly what they were working on. Often they were only given parts whose function was completely unknown to them, and many only had a vague understanding of the actual result of their work.
The project is taking place in collaboration with the professional Gerhart Hauptmann Theater in Zittau, Germany.
OFFER FOR SCHOOLS:
visit of a theater performance and accompanying program
the project is free for students
